I imagine that none of us fancy cutting costs at Christmas, so instead of striking people off your Christmas list, in my blog at compareandsave.com, I ‘ll show you how to slash your Christmas costs, and put Scrooge to bed.

With cash being tight as the dark cloud still looms over our UK economy, festive spending may be frugal. According to the HSBC Christmas Spending Survey, findings show that a shocking 37% of those surveyed will use all or some of their savings and 21% will borrow to pay for Christmas gifts.

Ideal Christmas cards

A prepaid card is an excellent alternative to a debit or credit card for your festive shopping trip because it allows you to manage your spending with limits. If you’re anything like me when I hit the shops, I go in with a well-intended plan and a realistic budget for my gifts, but I end up leaving loaded with shopping bags and a credit card bill as long as my arm.

As prepaid cards don’t have a credit facility, you can never spend more money than you have loaded onto the card. Although a debit card uses the money in your bank account, it makes sense that you may need this as a financial cushion for your household bills or you could end up going into your overdraft and into debt.

If the thought of being rejected at the checkout puts you off as much as it does me, look for a prepaid card with online account management so you always know exactly how much cash you have to splash.

Bank on a book

If you’re looking to buy without actually spending any cash, then you could opt to do your shopping using a catalogue. Popular catalogues such as Littlewoods, K&Co and Isme all offer interest free buy now pay later deals, so you don’t have to fret about the prospect of a final hefty bill.

Be careful if using this tactic though because if you don’t repay in full by the end of the interest free period, you’ll end up paying a high rate of interest on your purchases.

Cashback Chrimbo

Although you might think that a ‘buy now-pay later’ deal is already pretty good, you could actually earn money by doing your Christmas shopping using a cashback credit card. By choosing a credit card with a good rate of cashback and bonuses for new customers or heavy, you could actually end up making a profit.

It’s advisable to only go for this option if you’re confident that you can repay the balance in full immediately, otherwise you could end up out of pocket because the heavy cost of the interest that’ll outweigh the rewards.

I’ve picked some of the top deals that are currently on the market, but you should always compare cashback credit cards rather than plumping for the first one you see.

Capital One’s Aspire World credit card offers 5% cashback (up to a maximum of £100) in the first 99 days, dropping to between 0.5% and 1.25% thereafter. This card may be ideal for your Christmas shopping spree as you can benefit from the higher rate of cashback in the promotional period.

Amex Platinum Everyday is a close runner up to the Capital One card. They both offer 5% for the first three month, but it loses out because of its £3,000 minimum spend, compared to the Aspire World, which has no minimum spend.

Lagging slightly behind in bronze medal position is the Barclaycard Cashback, which actually has a higher rate during the introductory period, up to 6% (up to £120 max). The snag is that it charges a £24 annual fee and you have to make at least 15 transactions each month – quite handy if you’re making a number of large purchases though.

One of my favourite ways to save cash all year round, but particularly at Christmas, is shopping online rather than in-store. I was pleasantly surprised at the savings I could make by ordering from the comfort of my four walls in my pyjamas.

Some retailers actually have cheaper prices for online customers so it’s possible to make savings without having to do anything. Start saving mega-bucks by using retail comparison tools and have yourself a very festive Christmas….

	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.

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I love Christmas markets! Just as nights are drawing in and the weather has taken a turn for the worse, they offer a bustling furnace of activity that will warm any frozen feet or red noses on even the bitterest of winter days.

From York’s Winter Wonderland through to the Chester’s Victorian Christmas market its time to put on your hats, gloves plus scarves and grab anything from unusual stocking fillers to the free food samples on stall fronts.

Festive Family Fun

Lincoln led the revival after Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas celebrations and ever since British streets have been bursting with gourmet gifts and festive fodder.

For the traditional Victorian affair of roasted chestnuts, carolling and Dickensian fun I find it’s best to stick to the quaint streets of Britain’s historical towns. Durham is just one such place, you can check out information at www.durhamchristmasfestival.com .

From November 30^th- 2nd December,  there are 185 stalls where local producers and retailers sell a wonderful range of Christmas gifts and food. Carols in the Cathedral, pony and trap rides, children’s storytelling, brass bands and a Children’s Lantern Procession on the Saturday afternoon make this a family extravaganza.

I saw three ships come sailing in…

The opportunity to hear my favourite Christmas carol makes a trip to Gloucester’s and Portsmouth’s historic docks (www.gloucesterquays.co.uk/events/gloucester-quays-victorian-christmas-market) a tempting prospect.

If you like the sound of bumping into a host of colourful Victorian characters, including street urchins, toffs and Fagin-style gang masters then both of these traditional affairs may have your name on it.

You have to get a ticket to join in Portsmouth’s festivities but a £40.50 family pass includes the attractions of HMS Victory, National Museum of the Royal Navy, HMS Warrior 1860, Action Stations and a boat trip of Portsmouth Harbour, weather permitting of course.

Talking of larger than life characters, Caerphilly Medieval Market (www.caerphilly.gov.uk/christmas) on the 10th and 11th of December comes complete with a castle jester, street entertainers and re-enactment displays.

Along with 150 traders around the event site selling food, replica medieval goods and traditional crafts the addition of a farmers market, cookery demonstrations programme, children’s workshops plus funfair makes this is one action-packed day out.

Continental Cheer

Back in the smog of the big cities, some Christmas markets are continental affairs. Newcastle, (www.christmasmarkets.com/UK/newcastle-continental-christmas-christmas-market ) Glasgow, Leeds and Bristol  all toast the festive season with Bavarian beer and German inspired festive cheer.

Down south, London’s South Bank holds its own, albeit pricey, equivalent underneath the sparkling shadow of the London eye whilst up north, Edinburgh shows it really knows how to party with a marathon market spanning from 26^th November to 4^th January.

With three Christmas markets including a German-style market, a  Traditional Highland Village Market which features the best of Scotland, from whisky to cheese (or both together with the whisky-flavoured Arran cheese) you can even feel slightly better for over-indulging by visiting their Ethical Christmas Fair December from 12-20^th.

I’m based in Manchester and their Christmas markets are a MUST for any local or tourist in the Christmas period. They have expanded to the point that they’ve spilled out of Albert Square where bratwurst, Dutch pancakes, pork baps, chorizo rolls are all sold under the watchful gaze of a gigantic Father Christmas, resting on top of the town hall.

However, despite cramming five city squares full with people chomping on chocolate kebabs and sipping apple crumble cocktails; they’re not as big as Birmingham’s Frankfurt market.

This market is the largest outside of Germany and Austria which runs from 15th November to 23rd December. Starting in glorious Victoria Square you can grab hand-dipped candles and Christmas decorations, nativity scenes plus puppets whilst you could  gobble big, chewy pretzels, bratwurst or marzipan all the way down to Birmingham’s famous Bullring.

Billed as the best free night out in the city, I know only too well that their litre glasses of German beer and hot chocolate on with rum bring on a merry glow to add to your night. Aside from the giant Christmas tree, there’s fun to be had on a helter skelter and nearby Chamberlain Square showcases products from local artists.

Beat the Weather

Whilst you’re in the area and trying to avoid the cold, inside Birmingham’s NEC has a Festive Gift Fair (www.festivegiftfair.co.uk ) known for being ‘the place’ to buy unusual and affordable Christmas presents. Compared to the sky-high prices of standard Christmas markets this is a better option for anyone serious about getting some bargains.

For an upmarket indoor experience I definitely wouldn’t pass up a regal outing to Blenheim Palace (www.livingcrafts.co.uk ) where British designers sell high quality handmade, contemporary craft including jewellery, ceramics, toys, soaps, garlands and wreaths.

Their heated and carpeted pavilions also offer up some unusual ‘Tastes of Christmas’ and you can make a real day of it by touring the Palace’s gorgeous formal gardens.

Overall, whether you’re after presents, food, drink or family fun, you could take a quick look here (www.christmasmarkets.com/UK.) for a market and then you may be sure to find a real Christmas cracker.

	Written by :
	Eve Commander is a news reporter for compareandsave.com. She has worked as a journalist on several UK personal finance websites and regularly writes copy offering students financial advice. Eve now spends her time writing UK personal finance articles to help our readers save money.For press enquiries, please visit our Media Centre page.

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No one can deny that 2011 was, in many respects, one the toughest ever years financially for people, businesses, and governments around the world. However, it also saw consumers benefit from some of the longest interest free balance transfer periods on credit cards ever seen, the new Consumer Credit Directive change the balance of payments hierarchy for everyone benefit. So given the mix of tasty fruit and banana skins 2011 offered we thought we’d look into our crystal ball to give our view as to what 2012 might hold for UK personal finance.

Double Dip Recession?
The main thing everyone wants to know is whether the UK will slip back into another recession and there are as many answers are there are experts on the subject. Our answer is, “possibly” – although don’t quote us on that! Yes, you want more information than that but it’s impossible to give a definite answer. Some analysts are predicting that whilst the Eurozone may end up in recession, the UK could come out of it relatively unscathed. Whereas others believe that the UK will be just as badly affected, as things will get worse before they get better, with the second dip being even tougher than the first in 2008.

Either way UK personal finances are more likely to be affected this year by Government cuts and public sector job losses. The private sector is not in a position to pick up the pieces and even if it were it would be questionable whether private sector wages would match Inflation, which rose to a record high towards the end of 2011. Although it is thought that this will decrease throughout 2012 it will continue to put pressure on households to tighten their belts and get more finance savvy.

Personal Debt
The total UK personal debt decreased by 0.02% to £1451bn from October 2010 to October 2011 and the average household debt decreasing by just less than 7% to £7,984 (excluding mortgages). The average consumer borrowing on credit cards and other forms of unsecured finance also decreased, down to £4,226 per average UK adult. Despite this slight decline in the amount owed by UK consumers, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) still predicts that household debt will increase to £1823bn by end of 2015, and £2045bn by Q1 2017.

These statistics from Credit Action coupled with the fact that three in ten of us decided to go overboard and plunge into debt for Christmas and New Year, make it look likely that personal debt will deepen further into 2012. Research has shown that it takes most of us around six months to pay off Christmas debt, with 8% of us still struggling with it 12 months later. So, it looks like 2012 will be just as tough on our wallets as last year. Ouch!

The Housing Market
The figures published at the end of 2011 suggested that house prices were on the rise as did the gross mortgage lending reported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). The CML went on to say that it did not know what to expect for the remainder of 2012 as economic uncertainty was expected to widen. However, there is some good news for mortgage holders though as the Bank of England base rate is expected to remain at 0.5%.

Savings & Investments
If predictions are correct and the Bank of England base rate does stay at its record low for some time, savers could struggle to see the benefit. On the plus side inflation is expected to fall, which is good news as the value of your savings should at least stay intact. Due to the poor savings climate it is more important than ever that you take full advantage of your ISA allowance.

Finance Bill 2012
One of the most important things on the 2012 agenda for personal finance is the Finance Bill 2012. The draft legislation for consultation was released by the Government in December, and is expected to be published after the Spring 2012 Budget in March.

There are a number of changes on personal tax, corporate tax, and charities included in the Finance Bill 2012, a summary of the draft legislation is below.

Personal Tax
• Income tax thresholds and rates will be updated
• Details of the 50% tax relief scheme for SMEs (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) will be unveiled
• Statutory resistance test delayed until 2013
• Inheritance tax nil band and capital gains tax exempt amount to increase with RPI from 2015/16 and 2013 respectively

Corporate Tax
• Main corporation tax rate to reduce to 24% in 2013
• Improvements to Research & Development tax relief for SMEs
• Easing of conditions relating to real estate investment trust
• Bank Levy to increase to 0.088% from January 2012
• Changes to UK accounting practice

Charities
• Tax liability reduction
• Rate of inheritance tax to decrease to 36% when 10% of an estate is left to charity
• Withdrawal of Self Assessment Donate Scheme in April 2012.

What can I do?
With all the uncertainty it is tempting to simply shrug our shoulders and say, “…it’s out of my hands.” but that’s not the case. Worry about your little bit. If you can get you finances ship shape when everyone else is struggling there will be opportunities. Perhaps a bigger house, cheaper stocks & shares, bargains in the shops, but you’ll need to be in control of your finances to take advantage – Anything else is simply an illusion.

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With Christmas just a couple of months away, many of us will be thinking about applying for a new credit card, or using an existing one, to help us manage the cost of buying presents, food and other festive essentials. Credit cards with introductory offers, such as 0% interest on purchases, are a great tool you can use to help ease the high cost of Christmas, but they are not the only tool that can help you with money management during the holiday season.

Prepaid cards are a great alternative to the plastic already filling our wallets. These cards offer guaranteed acceptance because they don’t come with credit facilities, making them ideal for people with a poor credit history. They can also help you to budget because you can never spend more money than you have loaded on to the card, so you do not end up paying for this year’s Christmas next year.

Another use for these cards is as Christmas prepaid gift cards. While you could simply slip some money or a gift voucher into someone’s Christmas card, why not give them a prepaid gift card instead so that they can use your present in all stores (worldwide) or for online shopping? Plus, not only will you be giving them the money on the card, you will also be giving them the card itself, which they can continue to use throughout the year to shop online and help them budget. This is especially beneficial for younger kids who are currently reliant on borrowing their parents’ debit or credit cards so they can shop online to get the best deals.

If you decide to give a prepaid card as a gift you will need to check whether the card you choose has a monthly fee because you (or the recipient) may not want to be paying this fee in future months.

How to apply for a prepaid card

It’s incredibly easy to apply for a prepaid card online and you can usually start using the card within 7-10 working days, once your card has been made and sent to you in the post. If you want the card in time for Christmas, either to use for your own Christmas shopping or to give away as a gift, here is a guide to the application deadlines you will need to work to.

These dates are provided by Compareandsave.com as a guide only and are based on the application running smoothly. If demand is unusually high or if there are delays with the postal system, it may take longer for you to receive your prepaid card.

Budgeting for Christmas

According to research from R3, the insolvency trade body, conducted at the start of December 2010, more than five million people had already taken on debt to pay for Christmas 2010, an increase of nearly 50% on the previous year. It was also found that more than one million people believe it will take them more than six months to pay off their Christmas debt.

Whether we admit it or not, we all go overboard at Christmas sometimes, especially when we see the ‘perfect gift’ and we have a credit card burning a hole in our pocket. Prepaid cards can help us limit our spending and prevent a post-Christmas debt hangover.

Prepaid card charges

Prepaid cards do incur charges but these will vary significantly between cards so it is important to look out for them when you compare prepaid cards.

The most common charges found with prepaid cards are:

• Application or set up fees: these usually range from £5-£10, although you can get some cards for free, and are payable upon application
• Monthly fees: these are    sometimes applied in place of the individual fees for reloading and withdrawing cash and can vary in price
• Reload fees: there may be a small fee applied when the user reloads the card, but there is often a free method of topping up the card
• ATM cash withdrawal fees: this charge is either a flat fee of around £1.50 or a percentage of the value withdrawn
• Transaction fee: this fee usually only applies when the card is used abroad but it is an important one to check if you think you, or the recipient, will use the card abroad.

These charges often put people off when they look to apply for a prepaid card but it is important to remember that the alternative could potentially see you paying high interest charges on a credit card, especially if you have trouble with money discipline and budgeting. It could be argued that the fee is a small price to pay to prevent unmanageable debts next year. Also, if the card is a gift, you could imagine that the recipient will save a lot more than the fees by using the card to buy things online at a cheaper price than available on the high street.

There is still time to apply

It’s not too late to change your mind and start using a prepaid card this year. In general, you don’t need to apply for a prepaid card until 7-10 working days prior to the date you require it, but this can differ between providers.

The table above should provide you with a guide as to when you should apply for prepaid cards if you want to be able to use them for your Christmas shopping, or to give to friends and family as Christmas prepaid gift cards.

Remember that external factors such as peaks in demand or delays in the postal system could cause your prepaid card to arrive late. To ensure that you receive your card in time and prevent disappointment, order it as early as possible.

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Let’s face it, Christmas can be an incredibly expensive time, and often a time that our wage packets are unable to handle. In order to prepare for your purchases over the holiday period, you might be looking to apply for a credit card.

Everyone enjoys doing their Christmas shopping in their own way; you could be incredibly organised and have everything bought and wrapped by November, but most of us do it in early December, and inevitably leave some of it until the last minute.

However, with just 35 days  until Christmas Day, you will need to start thinking about applying for your new credit card so that it arrives in time for you to use it for your Christmas shopping.

Of course, there are several different types of credit card available and some take longer than others to arrive due to the way the card application process is handled.

Some credit cards are what’s known as ‘instant decision credit cards’ and they pretty much do what they say on the tin – you apply for the card online and the credit card company comes back to you with its decision within a couple of minutes, unless they need more information from you in order to make the final decision.

Cards that don’t offer an instant decision can take around 7 calendar days to get a decision to you.

Either way, you will still need to sign a credit agreement (some issuers allow you to do this online using a digital credit agreement), and wait for the card and PIN to arrive in the post so it is important that you apply now.

Here are the application deadlines for our top eight Christmas credit cards and have been calculated on the basis that you wish to receive your cards by 5th December, for those organised Christmas shoppers or 18th December 2011, for those who like to leave their festive shopping until the last minute.

It is important that you compare the credit cards available to you before applying to make sure that you choose the one most suitable for your needs (you should only make one application for credit at a time or it will make you look like you are desperate for credit and put off prospective lenders). To ensure that you receive your Christmas credit card in time for you carry out your festive shopping you should apply in plenty of time and account for any potential problems with the application.

Types of credit cards

The way in which you plan to use your Christmas credit card, combined with your credit rating, will affect the credit card you should apply for. Listed below are definitions of the different types of credit cards:

Instant decision

Instant decision credit cards provide many applicants with the result of their application within 60 seconds online. However, these results are not always instant if you do not meet exact criteria. If it is harder for the lender to judge your application, this decision will be delayed. These can be ideal for last minute Christmas shoppers as they are more likely to arrive in the nick of time.

0% purchases

Many credit cards offer customers introductory offers and deals to persuade them to take out their credit card. One of the most common deals for new customers is 0% interest on purchases for a fixed period of time. This is an excellent Christmas credit card because it allows consumers to buy all their festive gifts without having to pay high interest payments too.

0% Balance transfer

This type of credit card is designed to help consumers reduce the cost of their outstanding debt, as they can transfer high interest balances to a cheaper card. This card should not really be used for additional borrowing, but reducing the cost of existing debts. If you are looking for a card to do Christmas shopping a 0% purchases card may be more appropriate.

If you are looking to transfer a balance from another card because your last 0% balance transfer (BT) offer has run out and you need a 0% purchase deal for this year’s Christmas shopping, you can get cards that offer both a 0% BT and 0% purchase interest free period.

Credit-builder

If you don’t have a good or excellent credit rating, you might struggle to get accepted for a standard card. Credit building credit cards are designed to help consumers improve their credit score and their ability to access more affordable credit in the future. This credit card should not really be used to borrow money – you should really just use the card to pay for things and then pay the bill off in full each month to demonstrate to future lenders that you can manage credit sensibly. If you don’t pay your bill off in full each month, you will have to pay high interest charges because the interest rates on cards for building credit are higher than standard cards.

Rewards

These cards reward their customers for spending on their credit cards. Benefits can range from air miles to High Street gift vouchers. The interest rates are usually higher on reward credit cards due to the value of the benefits cardholders can receive. Rewards credit cards are best suited to people who use their credit cards regularly but always pay off the full balance every month. If the balance isn’t paid off in full each month, the interest charged will outweigh the rewards earned.

Christmas credit card tips

• If you have opted for a 0% purchases credit card, make sure you have the ability to repay the outstanding balance before the introductory period expires or you will face interest charges on your remaining balance once the 0% period ends
• Using credit cards for purchases of between £100 and £30,000 will protect you under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, meaning that if a company fails to deliver your items (if it scam you or if it goes bust) you can claim your money back from your credit card company
• Compare credit cards to make sure you are getting the best deal.

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Do you plan to make a late New Year’s Resolution?

According to a survey published in the Daily Telegraph in 2008, four in ten of us planned to make New Year’s Resolutions in 2009. And, among these, sixty per cent intended making a resolution relating to their finances, with 48 per cent planning to get out of debt or reduce the cost of their borrowings.

The New Year is a great time to finally organise your finances and to shop around for a better deal.

Spring clean your finances

It’s not unusual to start the New Year in debt. A recent survey from ING Direct found that the average cost of Christmas in Britain was £490 with the average person ending up £380 in debt after the festive season.

So, if you have credit cards, expensive unsecured loans or other hire purchase or finance, it is worth considering consolidating your debts and paying less interest.

Search for the lowest loan rates

Credit card interest can be as high as 15 to 20 per cent while many unsecured loans and hire purchase schemes also charge a high interest rate. However, there are dozens of unsecured loans on the market which charge low rates of interest, potentially saving you hundreds of pounds.

The best place to find the lowest loan rates is on the internet. Many websites allow you to compare personal loans in order to find the best deal for you.

Simplify your finances and reduce your money stress

Another great reason to consider consolidating your various unsecured debts into one personal loan is to simplify your finances. Rather than having lots of small debts, which you have to manage every month, you can simply take one larger loan and repay all of your other borrowings.

You will end up with one creditor, one direct debit and one loan. This will save you an awful lot of time compared to managing lots of small credit cards and unsecured loans.

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How much did you spend at Christmas? And how much of that was on your credit card?

Recent research from ING Direct found that, in 2009, the average person ended up £380 in debt covering the cost of the festive season. Brits spent an average of £490 over the holidays and it took them, on average, eight weeks to pay off the debt.

However, half a million Brits were still paying off their Christmas debt the following December. So, what are the best ways to manage your Christmas spending?

0% balance transfer credit cards

If you used plastic to fund your Christmas, the total cost of your festive season could end up being significantly higher than you think. If you end up paying interest on your balance for a few months, your Christmas could end up being extremely expensive. Many credit cards charge interest rates of between 15 and 20 per cent.

So, why not consider transferring your credit card balance? There are lots of interest free credit cards in the market and these cards offer you a 0% balance transfer cards (typically 12 to 16 months). By using interest free credit cards you can clear your Christmas debt without paying a fortune in interest.

Head online to compare credit cards

The best way to research and compare credit cards is to head online where there will be the best range of 0% balance transfer credit cards for you to consider. When looking at interest free credit cards, make sure you take into account:

• How long the 0% interest rate is for (and make sure you expect to be able to pay your Christmas balance within that period)
• Whether there are any fees for transferring the balance
• What the standard ‘go-to’ interest rate of the card is (in case you don’t manage to repay the balance by the end of the interest free period)

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Christmas can be an expensive time. The BBC reported that the average cost of Christmas in Wales in 2009 was a cool £784, with a quarter of households planning to spend between £1,000 and £5,000 on their Christmas.

So, if you are looking for a cost effective way to spread the cost of Christmas, why not consider 0% purchase credit cards?

Spread the cost of Christmas with interest free credit cards

0% purchase credit cards allow you to borrow interest free. You typically benefit from a period of between 6 and 12 months where you will pay no interest on the money you spend on your credit card.

Interest free credit cards are therefore perfect if you want to spread the cost of Christmas gifts over several months. You can buy your Christmas gifts now and pay the money back over the next few months without incurring huge interest charges.

Make sure you repay your spending before the 0% period runs out

While interest free credit cards are a great way of spreading the cost of Christmas, you should be careful to ensure that you repay your balance before your 0% period runs out.

If you don’t repay your balance by the end of your interest free period you are likely to pay your card provider’s standard interest rate, which could be between 15% and 20%.

Head online to compare credit cards

When looking for interest free credit cards, the best place to search for your new card is on the internet. With dozens of 0% purchase credit cards available, it is vital that you research your options to find the best card for you.

When you compare credit cards, look for:

• The length of the 0% interest rate period
• Any charges or fees
• Whether there is a minimum limit to qualify for 0% deals (do you have to spend a minimum amount per transaction to qualify?)

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If you know someone who’s a post-Christmas bargain hunter, one of the best gifts you can give them is a prepaid gift card. They’re safer than cash, and let them take advantage of all those post-Christmas bargains, even those online. Of course, the person you may want to give a prepaid card to may be yourself, for those same reasons!

The best prepaid cards are the ones that are accepted most widely and that keep fees to a minimum. Some, but not all, prepaid cards charge an activation fee of up to £12.50. Other fees include monthly fees, reload fees, and ATM fees. Some cards do not charge monthly and reload fees, but the majority charge ATM fees, which range from 75p to £1.75 for domestic ATM withdrawals, and flat £1.50 to 3.5% for ATM withdrawals abroad.

It’s important that you compare prepaid cards and choose one with the fee structure that will make the smallest dent in the balance based on spending habits. For example, if you know the card won’t be reloaded, or will be used and discarded within a month, monthly and reload fees won’t matter.

When choosing a prepaid card for trips abroad, selecting a prepaid card designed specifically for travel can save substantially on overseas spending. These too vary in terms of fees, so do compare before choosing to get the most from your prepaid plastic.

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We all want to spread the financial burden of Christmas shopping so that we’re not faced with huge bills due at the beginning of the New Year, and to prevent interest charges accumulating. Try these three tips, and you can make it easier to spread the cost of your holiday purchases.

1. Use a 0% purchase credit card for your holiday spending.

There are a number of credit cards you can obtain at no annual fee that have introductory 0% purchase offers. The 0% time period varies among issuers, so choose one with the longest introductory 0% period. Don’t go crazy with it though! You still have to pay off the charges; you just have a longer time to do so without paying interest.

2. Take advantage of 0% credit cards with balance transfer offers.

Choose a 0% balance transfer card, transfer your balances and don’t use it for other spending. That way you keep it simple by starting with a certain balance and paying it down without adding other charges to confuse things.

3. Most importantly, pay off those balances before the 0% interest period ends.

If you don’t pay these cards off before the 0% interest period ends, you could be in for a shock when the interest rates jump and suddenly you owe far more than you thought.

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