Since the postal market has been open to full competition a number of parcel delivery websites have popped up, trying to persuade people to forget trudging down to the post office, and use their courier services instead.

Myparceldelivery.com is one of the companies to benefit from those changes introduced seven years ago. Its purpose is to provide consumers with the cheapest way to send their parcel in the UK and abroad. By using the comparison service you can easily see how much it will cost you to get that parcel delivered using alternatives to the beloved Royal Mail.

Parcels weighing over 2kg can be a nightmare to take to the local post office, firstly if you don’t have a car you have to lug it all the way there yourself, secondly, you will undoubtedly be stuck in a queue for at least 10 minutes, and last but not least, you probably won’t know what to ask for when you get there as you will be bombarded by questions from the cashier.

By using the My Parcel Delivery and Royal Mail online quotation systems we can see that as the size and weight of your parcel increases, the gap between the prices is also on the rise.

To deliver a parcel weighing no more than 2.5kg with tracking and guaranteed next day delivery within the UK, costs £22.70 with Royal Mail and just £13.80 using City Link (price provided by My Parcel Delivery). This is quite a significant difference in price for a very similar service. In fact, in most cases City Link will also collect the parcel from your home address, meaning that you don’t even have to leave the house.

Price Gap: £8.90

If we increase the weight of the parcel to no more than 15kg, we can see that there is an even bigger price gap. The first thing to notice is that we are not offered Royal Mail Special Delivery any longer, the only options available aim to deliver next day. Unfortunately not good enough for us so we turn to the ParcelForce option provided as a part of the Royal Mail Group.

Myparceldelivery.com offers us another great deal, this time with MPD Next Day Delivery for just £10.20 (inc. VAT). Royal Mail just isn’t able to compete with the great deals being offered online, our 15kg parcel will set us back a whopping £25.40.

Price Gap: £15.20

These are just a couple of examples, if you start increasing the size and weight of your parcel the price gap between Royal Mail and online couriers just keeps rising.

Why are online couriers so much cheaper?

One of the biggest reasons that you can make these huge savings with online parcel couriers is because of the competition that now exists within the market place. The demand for parcel delivery is on the rise thanks to the increase in the use of the internet. Think about how often you order goods online, all of those parcels need to be delivered quickly and cheaply – something the Royal Mail is unable to achieve.

These discount parcel couriers are generally offering a superior service at better prices in order to grab as much of the market share as possible. This should not come as a surprise when you consider that the postal market is currently worth somewhere in the region of £11.4bn.

Before the previous regulator Postcomm opened up the market to full competition, Royal Mail still managed to dominate the market with a 99% share. However, Royal Mail has suffered a rapid decline in its hold on the market, and currently only holds a 40% share of bulk mail .

Perhaps the changes to the regulatory framework being introduced by Ofcom will coincide with a change in habits from British consumers. After all, with the price of stamps increasing, the decline in the sending of letters, will Royal Mail even be able to continue to compete with private courier services?

The proof is in the pudding, and we have just been served up discounts between £8.90 and £15.20 for taking less than two minutes to get a quote using myparceldelivery.com. It will most definitely save you time and money, and could even prevent you from suffering with that bad back.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com.Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

There was a time where walking into a shop and handing over your credit card also meant having your signature scrutinised by a gangly teenager, and was considered a mildly annoying but necessary evil. Then, everyone over the age of 40 groaned in unison as chip & pin was introduced; a safer way to use your card yes, but remembering those four numbers was akin to forced labour for some.

Now, we have reached the future and a new, contactless way of paying for things is working its way through the country. The actual technology behind contactless isn’t exactly new – it’s been around for ages, and has been used to replace tickets on public transport such as the Oyster card system in London, while many large buildings and offices control access with security passes that must be scanned against a reader.

Contactless payment is very simple – you take your goods to the counter, and wave the card over a specially designed reader and voila! You have made your purchase in less than a couple of seconds. For those wondering about the apparent lack of security in doing this, there are a few measures in place. Firstly, you can only pay for purchases under £15 using the contactless reader – anything over this amount requires you to use the card in the regular way, entering a 4 digit pin. You may also be occasionally asked at random to enter your pin anyway, to deter fraudulent use. The intended benefits of this method include reducing time spent queuing, although it will probably make no difference at Toys R Us during Christmas time.

Taking contactless technology a step further is the innovative Watch2pay, which can be used to make MasterCard payments. The user wears a fully functioning watch that contains a chip similar to the ones found in credit and debit cards, but allows you to simply wave the device over the reader and pay. As not all shops have the contactless reader yet, purchasing the watch entitles you to an additional standard sized MasterCard prepaid card and both gadgets are linked to the same account. This card differs from an ordinary credit card, in that you are only spending money that you’ve already loaded onto it, similar to a mobile phone top up, so there’s never any risk of going over your limit, and it’s great for parents with teenagers who get allowances or for those going abroad, as it means you have to carry less cash around.

Even more impressive is the ability to pay for things using your mobile phone. There are a multitude of free apps available that let you send and receive money instantly, including Barclay’s Pingit which lets users send up to £300 to friends, family and small businesses.

Amongst many of the other big name companies, O2 has launched its very own version called O2 Wallet, an app that not only allows you to transfer money to friends and family in an instant, but pay for things online as well, negating the tedious process of filling in card details and information. It works by storing all your card details on the app, which then fills in the necessary details for you. Not content with being part of the latest way to pay for things, O2 Wallet also enables smart phone users to scan items they see when they’re out shopping, shows them the best deals around and then lets them pay for it via their mobile phone.

The app is password protected for safety, and actually making a purchase requires another password to be entered. O2 says that your card details are not stored on the phone itself, but on a secure server, so in the event your phone is lost or stolen, your credit card details will not be divulged.

As new technology continues to impress us, there will always be something that can be made faster, or easier, and with these ideas crossing over into the way we spend money, we may be saying goodbye to the traditional credit card sooner than we think.

	Written by :	Follow @marktscott
	Mark is the Marketing Director at CompareandSave.com, having previously worked at a number of media agencies on various financial brands. He now splits his time between promoting CompareandSave and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.   For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

60 years later and it is Queen Elizabeth’s official diamond jubilee and we want to celebrate in style. We are by no means suggesting you ration your guests to a few grams worth of sweets but cutting back on your spending could help you hold a jubilee party without the diamond prices.

Furniture
You will obviously need tables to lay out the food and chairs for somewhere to sit, so instead of splashing the cash to buy new ones, or even to hire ones, ask the neighbours! Nearly every household owns a pasting table, even if not for pasting, these tables come incredibly handy when having a large gathering.

If everyone is generous enough to bring their pasting tables and plastic patio tables, you should have plenty. Plus with a pick ‘n’ mix of dining chairs, armchairs, deck chairs, and patio chairs, you’ll have an array of seating to suit everyone.

If you do find yourself short you might be able to ask a local church or community centre to see if you could borrow their chairs and tables, or pay a minimal fee or hire them.

Decorations
No jubilee street party is complete without lots of decoration! As you might not want all the guests to see the old pasting tables, you could buy cheap white tablecloths (or even bed sheets) from the supermarket to cover everything up.

Grab yourself some fun napkins and paper plates adorned with the Union Jack for a real patriotic street party feel. Perhaps go a step further with some old curtains or cheap colourful fabric and ask someone to whip up some colour tablecloths with a sewing machine – if not, it’s no big deal.

Whatever decorations you opt for, you can’t forget the bunting! With the jubilee being a national event the supermarkets will be full of all the usual decoration, so you should have no problem getting your hands on some cheap plastic bunting to hang from the streetlights (http://www.streetparty.org.uk/bunting.aspx).

Balloons are ideal for all occasions, you don’t have to go to specialise provider for fancy archways or centrepieces. Just grab a few £1 packs from a local store and get the neighbours to spend the morning blowing them up. Make sure they’re weighted, or tied to a chair!

Your table decorations don’t have to be anything fancy, you could pick flowers from the local area and display them in jam jars or ask the neighbours to each bring a vase from home. One great way to light up the area when the sun starts to set is with tealights. String together a load of jam jars, insert tealights and hang them around the area, or simply set them on the tables.

Crockery
Your first thought for a street party might be paper plates, plastic knives and forks, and paper cups, but this isn’t any old street party, this is the diamond jubilee street party. If you really want to push the boat out and reminisce about the 1950s, why not lay the table with china crockery? Expensive, I know, but if each household was willing to pull out their old china, you could get a real 1950s feel to your street party without spending a penny. Alternatively, you could try hiring china (although not a good idea due to potential breakages), or even better, scour charity shops and car boot sale s for some real bargains.

Drinks
There’s nothing wrong with having a few wine spritzers or glasses of champagne to mark the occasion, but to celebrate in true British style, what better than a cup of tea? If you managed to get your hands on some china teapots, you could really make this a traditional British street party by serving tea – it will save a small fortune compared to fizzy or alcoholic drinks too!

Food
What are you going to eat at the street party? Don’t spend an arm and a leg on a buffet with curled sandwiches and stale food, use your imagination. What is decidedly British? Fish and chips, perhaps? Each household could chip (excuse the pun) in a few pounds for each person and enjoy a delicious fish and chip supper.

If you’re not up for that, maybe go down the traditional route with cream cakes and cucumber sandwiches. Whatever takes your fancy, just ask the neighbours to spare a few quid for the kitty.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com.Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

Norwich Cathedral is perhaps the best place to start for visitors to Norwich on a shoestring. This 900 year old cathedral is a striking feature of Norwich’s skyline and its beautiful interior will not fail to impress those who step inside. The cathedral is located in a beautiful area of the city where you can wander around and soak up the rich history of the city. There are many pleasant cafes and restaurants in this area of the town offering good value refreshments to visitors. Norwich cathedral is not the only medieval church worth seeing and there over 30 within the city walls alone that are great to admire.

Walking around the city is highly recommended and most importantly free! There is no better way to spend a summer’s evening in Norwich than to take a walking tour. The Blue Badge Guide costs just £4 per person and will take you around Norwich’s extraordinary buildings, landmarks and beautiful riverside. There are several tours on offer and visitors will be able to find one that interests them. ‘In footsteps on Nelson’ offers a glimpse into life in Norwich when Nelson lived there, whilst ‘Over the water’ takes visitors around Norwich’s once over-populated and congested streets where flood, fire and plague once ravaged in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Blue Badge guides have a large amount of knowledge to impart and will provide a fascinating glimpse into times gone by in Norwich.

Norwich castle is also worth a visit. Erected in the aftermath of the Norman invasion, the castle is an impressive reminder of the greatness of William the Conqueror and its history is well worth exploring. The castle keep is open to visitors and interactive displays tell the story of the castle. You can also tour the dungeon and battlements. Not only does the castle offer plenty of insightful historical content but it also serves as an art gallery. There are plenty of interesting exhibitions to enjoy within the castle, from water colour showcases to art from the Middle Ages. Entry to castle is a very reasonable £6.80 but those visiting on a budget, the best way to see the castle is to visit an hour before closing (4pm in the summer) when entry is just £1! There is a nice café located within the castle serving refreshments for visitors.

Norwich is known as East Anglia’s entertainment and dining hub, and you’ll often find the city bustling with people sampling the delights of the city. Norwich’s vibrant student community help to maintain the reasonable price of eating and drinking out in the city and keep the place alive and on its toes. Captain America’s specialises in burgers at reasonable prices and The Baby Buddha Chinese Tea House serves Asian food and is highly recommended. Norwich is also renowned for its theatres and there are several venues from small to large offering a multitude of performances. Visitors will be able to find something to interest them. The Garage is a particularly interesting venue which puts on a variety of events in intimate surroundings.

Norwich has several striking buildings that set the city apart from other cities in the area. The Forum houses the Millennium Library which celebrates Norwich’s relationship with America, and in particular the United States Air Force. During the Second World War and Cold War, the U.S air force used UK air bases in the area and subsequently American culture had an impact on the area.

Norwich is a rewarding city to spend any time in, particularly if you are interested in medieval architecture and history. The city is vibrant and its winding streets are great for exploring. The city has many secrets that are worth uncovering and is highly recommended to visitors on a budget.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com.Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

Let’s start with some quick facts which you may not know…

• Our well-loved fiver is actually made from linen rag and cotton fibre.
• A minimum of 249 million £5 notes are in circulation with the Bank of England pressing to have more of them dispensed from ATMs.
• The first £5 was introduced back in 1793 and was not quite so humble as it is today – Being worth (in today’s money) something in the region of £400.00! Quite a lot considering the highest current value denomination is £100.00
• Until 1928 all notes were printed in black and the reverse was blank. The current note is blue and the smallest note in circulation being approximately 135mm x 70mm.

A tale of two Lizzy’s
Since May 2002 Elizabeth Fry, a former prison reformer, has occupied the reverse of the fiver with Queen Elizabeth II being on the front.

Elizabeth Fry was a Norwich born Quaker and mother of 11, who lived from 1780-1845. She was a tireless charity worker who campaigned to improve prison conditions for women after being horrify by what she saw in Newgate Prison, where over 300 women and children were crammed into tiny cells. Everything in Gaol had to be paid for by the prisoners themselves so she arranged for materials to be provide to women so they could sew, knit and make goods to sell – She even started a school for the children in the prison. Ultimately her good work was rewarded with invitation to speak in Parliament about prison conditions and the passing of the 1823 Gaol act which improved conditions for prisoners in British jails.

She also followed a training course for nurses and helped improve the conditions for prisoners travelling to Australia, by giving women parcels of useful things for their long journey and successfully arguing against the need to have prisoners chained to the deck of the ship for the duration of the voyage.

Design and Security Features
Although it looks pretty humble, your fiver actually incorporates a number of advanced security features. A special ‘paper’ (linen rag and cotton fibre) is used and the print on our fiver is raised and can be felt by running a finger over the words ‘Bank of England’. Metallic thread, which appears as a silver broken line can be seen on the back of the note. If it is held up to the light however, it looks as if it has a continuous dark line. The watermark – a portrait of the Queen is seen when the note is shown up to the light.

The many further security and design features on our current fiver include the unique numbering system which has the numbers printed both horizontally and vertically. Those people who are partially sighted are assisted by the turquoise circle on the front of the note.

Who Signs your Fiver?
Every single note has a signature on it, so this really should be the most recognisable signature in the UK. The man behind the 3.2 billion English notes bearing his signature since he was appointed the 30th Chief Cashier at the Bank of England in 2004 is Andrew Bailey. The Bank of England was established in 1694 and it has always been one of the duties of the Chief Cashier to sign the notes. Of course, they aren’t signed individually now, but originally a cashier had to sign every note by hand!

	Written by :
	Jan is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com. Having previously written about cookery, rural living she now concentrates on providing our readers with insights and tips on making the most of their money, by ensuring that they have all the relevant facts to enable them to make an informed choice.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

With garden theft predicted to rise in 2012, how do you know if you are protected? As summer and the barbecue season fast approaches, opportunists are aware that it is the ideal time to target gardens and allotments as rich pickings.

We show you how you can protect your garden without costing you a small fortune.

Main garden items targeted for theft

Amongst the main items that the light-fingered garden thieves target are:

• Lawn mowers
• Garden furniture
• Ornaments/statues
• Barbecues
• Wheel barrows
• Garden tools
• Seedlings and vegetables
• Children’s toys
• Trees
• Bicycles

Remarkably, it has been reported that thieves have stolen garden gates, scrap metal, paving stones, a hot tub, fish and even an entire front lawn. Vandalism and property damage has also been reported. What inexpensive measures can you take to ensure your garden is fully protected?

Savvy ways to protect your garden

By taking some simple precautions, you can reduce your risk of garden theft dramatically to make your garden more secure. One way to protect your garden is by planting natural plant deterrents such as a barrier of prickly hedges like hawthorn.

You can pick up common holly, hawthorn, bamboo and other thorny foliage from your local garden centre or online at www.hedgesdirect.co.uk. Prices start at around £3.50 per plant.

Other deterrents can be to install security locks for your shed and wall spikes but it is worth noting that these purchases should be made from a reputable supplier. You can check prices, which start at £13 and seek additional advice at www.diy.com. If you have valuable trees then you can buy a tree anchor as an added security device.

You could extend your house alarm system into your garden or install a security light system, which comes on automatically can deter thieves. You can also mark your equipment and garden tools with your postcode by marking them with an ultraviolet pen, paint or by engraving your property.

Other low-cost measures, which can be used to secure your garden, are linking your gardening tools with a heavy-duty chain. You could lay a thick gravel path, which is inexpensive and acts as a deterrent to trespassers to reduce your chances of becoming a victim to theft.

A boundary wall or solid fence can be constructed to the rear of your home in such a way that it is difficult to climb.

Check your household contents insurance policy to see if it includes cover for your garden valuables and outbuildings or if you can pay a small sum for an add-on to your existing insurance.

You can check with your insurance provider for prices on covering individual valuable garden items. It is worthwhile outlaying a small sum to ensure your garden is fully protected against burglary and for your peace of mind.

With simple steps, you can save cash by installing solid security measures to deter thieves from stealing and vandalising your garden property, which could potentially end up costing you hundreds.

An extra tip, which may be worth keeping in mind, is to photograph your valuable garden ornaments or equipment in case you have to report a theft or place an insurance claim.

At Compare & Save.com, our team have hunted down the top home insurance providers to give you a wide choice of competitive deals on the UK market.

	Written by :
	Amanda is the editor for Compareandsave.com.She worked as a journalist at the FT business publication, ‘Financial Adviser’. She also worked for the nationals including The Guardian, The Independent, The Mail on Sunday and Daily Mirror. Alongside working for major UK personal finance sites, she now investigates and reports on new, novel ways to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

Perhaps the best place to start when visiting Newcastle is the castle keep. It is one of the best preserved Norman keeps left in the UK, and is located in the historical heart of the city. It is a fascinating reminder of Newcastle’s turbulent past and is an interesting building to explore. Entry is reasonably priced at £4 and the castle boasts some outstanding views of the river and bridges from its rooftop. The Black Gate is another important building still standing in modern Newcastle and is worth having a look at. Historically important, architecturally complex and visually attractive, the Black Gate is the home of the Society of Antiquaries and has been for over 100 years.

Newcastle has loads of theatres, there are actually more theatres per head than anywhere else in the country. The city is celebrated for its diverse schedule of plays and performances. Newcastle’s Theatre Royal is the regional home of the Royal Shakespeare Company and is located in a beautiful grade A listed building. The theatre presents over 380 performances to over 300,000 people per year. It has a reputation for being one of the finest theatres in the UK and is on the schedules of many of the world’s best touring theatre acts. Tickets are reasonably priced and it is highly recommended that you find out what is on – the Theatre Royal offers something for everyone. Newcastle also has a reputation for being a poetry centre and The Morden Tower frequently puts on poetry readings. Many international poets and some more experimental musical acts perform at the venue for very reasonable prices. Visitors to Newcastle on a shoestring budget looking for an evening’s entertainment should definitely look to the Morden Tower.

A great museum for visitors on a budget is The Great North Museum where admission is free. The museum incorporates collections from various Newcastle museums and includes a huge interactive model of Hadrian’s Wall. There are also displays illustrating the diversity of animal and plant kingdoms, a life-size dinosaur skeleton, a planetarium, Ancient Greek artefacts and Egyptian mummies. Innovative touch screen technology helps bring to life the exhibitions and displays. There is something for everyone to enjoy within the museum and it comes highly recommended.

Newcastle’s nightlife is considered legendary and was famously named Britain’s best tourist attraction by the Rough Guide to Britain. It is hard to dispute such an accolade when visiting the city centre in the evening and there is plenty to suit everyone’s taste. The Quayside area of the city centre has a high concentration of pubs and clubs that offer great value for money. Newcastle is known for its great food too and there is a large range of culinary highlights to choose from. The Bigg Market area of the centre has some great budget eating options, including Al Basha which serves cheap Lebanese food and has friendly service. Another great eating option is the Settledown Café, offering sandwiches and salads. Friendly service is commonplace in Newcastle and the locals are known for their welcoming spirit. Newcastle even has its own food festival, EAT!, a quirky and imaginative event that proves food festivals aren’t only for connoisseurs .

All in all, Newcastle offers a wide range of great activities for those visiting on a budget. You can get a real sense of Newcastle’s history and how the modern city has developed. Plenty of culture and budget eating places means Newcastle comes alive at night like nowhere else and there is something for everyone in this vibrant and diverse northern city.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com.Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money.  For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

Small businesses, new start-ups and those who are self-employed may be tempted to get a personal credit card, as they are generally easier to get hold of and offer lower interest rates. The cons of financing your business this way however, are that you may get a smaller credit limit, and it would be very easy to muddle up business and personal spending, making eventually sorting between the two more hassle than it need be.

Currently on offer for small businesses, Barclaycard’s Cashback business card offers up to 3% cash back on all business related spending, which is great if you’re making purchases that are unavoidable anyway. The rates start from 3% for office essentials such as stationary supplies, computer equipment and legal services, 1% on fuel and 0.5% on everything else, up to a maximum of £400 in the year, which may seem small, but for a self-employed individual this could potentially be a very useful reward at the end of the year. Additional perks include purchase protection, warranty extension and reduced rates of up to 55% with the AA. Do look out for the annual fee that usually comes with these credit cards, about £32.

Others may prefer a business card without all the added extras. The Metro Bank, one of the UK’s first new high street banks in over 100 years, offers the most basic, no-frills credit card out there, with very low rates of 13% APR (variable) and 60 days interest free on new purchases. In its simplicity though, there are cons, as you must first be a Metro Bank current account holder and can only apply for a card in branch.

For larger companies, business credit cards offer a simple way of allowing employees to tap into the expense account. The company can decide which employees are given a card, and can also cap the maximum credit limit for each person. It also tidies up most of the administrative stuff; in days before plastic ruled the world, we can only imagine the stress of having employees handing over piles of receipts that had to be sorted, checked and organised; that is of course assuming they hadn’t been lost or damaged along the way. Just remember to take care when doling out cards to staff – there is always the danger that an employee might go off the rails and misuse the card, so look out for ones that come with cardholder misuse protection. For the employees themselves, having a business card simplifies things, as they are straightforward to use over the phone and internet, and generally provide an easier way to finance business related expenditures.

A business credit card could also be advantageous if you or your employees are required to travel. Many cards currently available offer decent exchange rates, while having a card is generally the easiest way to make purchases abroad and often include additional benefits such as discounted car hire and hotel rates.

If you or your employees have to travel frequently, it might be worth looking at business cards with benefits tailored towards this particular expense. There are plenty of cards on the market with these types of extras, but Barclaycard’s Platinum Visa Business Card offers enhanced travel insurance, with a list that includes personal liability, cancelled flights and travel accident cover, provided you pay for the entire trip with the card. It’s worth bearing in mind however, that this card comes with a hefty annual charge of £78, requires you to have an expected gross income before you can get it and has one of the highest interest rates at 26.9% APR, although for larger companies, this may just be a drop in the ocean compared with the potential losses that can come from frequent travel.

All in all, business credit cards are a good source of funding for those who can get them, so long as you make sure you shop around and find the best deal for you.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com. Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money. For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

A balance transfer credit card gives you a way to consolidate all of your existing credit card debts onto one credit card. You then make your monthly payments on just this one card which makes the whole process of paying your bills much easier then attempting to juggle several. Additionally, you will then only be paying interest on one lump sum which will usually be lower than many cards combined. Also, bear in mind that balance transfers aren’t just for those with more than one credit card, even if you just have the one card and want to move from your existing creditor then it’s an option for you.

According to www.creditcards.com, the average number of credit cards owned by individual cardholders at the end of 2008 was 3.5 and the average debt per household who has credit card debt is $15,956. From these statistics alone it’s plain for anyone to see that credit is easy to obtain but not so easy to manage.

As with most things of this nature there are many different balance transfer credit cards to choose from, all of which have varying terms and rates. Selecting a card that offers the best deal for your situation is essential in ensuring you are able to gain full control of your finances. It is also important to remember that each of these cards will have certain criteria that you will have to meet in order to be eligible to apply. These criteria will often depend on your income or who you currently bank with.

The concept of balance transfer credit cards can be traced back several decades to the behaviour of citizens around the world looking for a way to make ends meet. Countless people became aware that when the time rolled round once again to make monthly payments on one credit card they could simply use a second credit card to do this, and of course vice versa. This idea also stretches into people taking cash advances from new credit cards to pay for their existing ones. This practice allowed people to keep creditors at bay for as long as possible and potentially preserve their credit history for as long as they could keep it up.

It didn’t take long for the credit card companies to catch on to this method of paying the bills and soon enough the first balance transfer credit cards were introduced. When the credit card companies first introduced this kind of package it didn’t have a whole load of success and not much profit was made. However as the economic climate has worsened over the past few years, the popularity of such an attractive deal has increased massively. Those who have lost their jobs, reduced their income or simply built up far more debt than they can handle are amongst many other groups of people who are turning to balance transfer credit cards.

Through this method of debt management people are able to have more control over, and reduce their outgoing payments to creditors. In comparison to other types of credit cards, balance transfer credit cards are a very popular choice for people with previous experience of credit. They can provide a great deal of financial relief that can’t be obtained in the same way through other more conventional cards that still maintain a high interest rate.

Always take into account that most balance transfer credit cards are advertised as coming with a 0% interest rate. It is therefore more important to look past this and notice what other terms they are offering that are beneficial to you. The variable APR after the 0% period ends is the most important thing to look for. This is usually offered between 16% and 19% although you may be lucky enough to find a better deal. Your existing credit history will have a huge influence on the rate of interest for your new credit card so bear this in mind when searching for the best option. And of course, always read the small print!

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com. Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money. For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

Perhaps the best place to start for visitors to Southampton is The Maritime Museum, which seeks to inform visitors of Southampton’s long and fractured relationship with the sea. There is plenty of information available for those interested in finding out about the Titanic and there are lots of artefacts to accompany the story. The museum is about to reopen in larger premises and reasonably priced tickets are available to those on a shoestring. The Mediaeval Merchants House is another great historical attraction worth a visit. This house is a restored merchant’s house giving visitors the opportunity to step back in time and experience what it was like to be a successful merchant living in a bustling port town. Tickets are an extremely reasonable £4.00 for adults and won’t break the bank for those on a budget. Another attraction offering a unique and atmospheric insight into the lives and times of residents through the years is The Tudor House garden. Appealing to visitors of all ages and interests, this family friendly museum has interactive technology and fascinating displays that serve to bring to life the Southampton of old.

Art lovers should head to the Southampton City Art Gallery which offers visitors an impressive array of displays and exhibits from ancient to modern times. It is also recognised for having the finest collection of 20th century British art outside of London. It is free to enter the gallery, giving visitors the freedom to pop in and out at their convenience.

Southampton’s Riverside Park in the city centre offers visitors to the city scenic walks alongside the River Itchen. There is plenty of wildlife to spot along the river and it is a welcome escape from the busy city. The White Swan pub, located by the Riverside Park, has plenty of good value food and drink options for walkers and the views over the river from the pub are stunning.

Much is made of Southampton’s pub scene and it is highly recommended that visitors investigate some of the lively watering holes in the city centre. Up there with the best is The Bent Brief Pub which offers live music every night of the week in a traditional environment. Another pub that is highly regarded for its dedication to preserving a traditional atmosphere is The Old Farmhouse, the oldest pub in Southampton. Such pubs offer great value for money and a unique glimpse into life in Southampton. There is also an extensive selection of modern bars, lounges and music venues on offer in Southampton’s city centre and the Leisure World complex contains most of the highlights.

A trip to Southampton perhaps wouldn’t be complete without a boat trip, and the Hythe ferry operating on the town quay is perfect for visitors to the centre. The ferry takes passengers over to the quaint village of Hythe, where a few hours can be pleasantly spent strolling around and having a bite to eat. Riding the ferry gives visitors to Southampton an up close view of the impressively huge container and passenger ships that frequent Southampton harbour, serving to remind visitors of Southampton’s international port status.

Southampton is well worth a visit by those living on a shoestring budget. There is plenty to see and do in the city centre and the rewarding walks through the Riverside Park and opportunity to take the ferry mean Southampton can be enjoyed by all kinds of people.

	Written by :
	Jemma is a news & research reporter for compareandsave.com. Having worked as a journalist on a number of personal finance websites; she now spends time researching and commenting on UK personal finance stories and investigating new ways to help our readers save money. For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.