Household Bills |
|
Your Money > Household Bills Articles > Avoid Christmas disasters
|
|
By Sarah Modlock
Lost cash card If your cash card is lost or stolen then report it straight away. It's worth programming your bank's special helpline into your mobile and also keeping a note of it elsewhere in case you're unlucky enough to lose your phone with your card. Avoid panicking and withdrawing cash on your credit card - this will be expensive, attracting interest straight away as well as fees. For customers of one banking group, there will be no need to face a long walk home from the pub. Just in time for the full swing of the Christmas party season, the Royal Bank of Scotland group, which includes NatWest, Ulster Bank and Tesco Personal Finance, has launched its new service to provide emergency funds to customers who have had their debit card lost or stolen. The 'Emergency Cash' service provides a simple and cardless method of accessing funds in an emergency from any RBS Group ATM. If you bank with one of the RBS group and lose your card over Christmas then help is at hand from your first call the bank's Lost and Stolen Helpline. When you report the loss or theft of your debit card, you will automatically be asked by the telephone operator if you require access to 'Emergency Cash', which allows you to withdraw funds of up to £300 without a card. To get the full £300 you must be an existing telephone or internet customer. If not you will be restricted to £60. To access this service, you will need to correctly answer three stringent security questions. Only then will a unique PIN number (valid for one use only) will be issued. As an extra security feature, you will then have only three hours to access your cash before the PIN expires. The service will be free of charge up until Friday 11th January, after which there will be a fixed fee of £5. Home security Whether you are giving big, receiving big or both, it pays to check that your home contents insurance is up to scratch over the festive period and beyond. If not, your gifts may not be covered at a time when burglars know there are rich pickings in houses left empty while you're out visiting others. The good news is that many home insurers automatically bump up your protection at this time of year. But some only do it for a short time so will need to check with your insurer for details. Analysis from price comparison site moneysupermarket.com shows the AA will increase contents cover by 20% from December 1 to January 6 free of charge, while Marks & Spencer already has unlimited cover. Other providers such as Sainsbury's, Budget and Egg will boost contents cover by 10% for items bought for Christmas. Others, including Endsleigh and Homeprotect do not offer this free top-up on their standard policies. Remember that some high-value items may need to be listed individually on the policy, as insurers often impose a single item limit of £1,000 or £2,000, although these tend to be on jewellery or antiques. Possessions away from the home need attention so you should ensure mp3 players or similar items are covered when taken out. You can see more of who offers what in the table below. Contents cover of £30,000
*Includes special £50 cash back offer if purchased through moneysupermarket.com **Includes online discount Sourced by www.moneysupermarket.com 5-11-07. Based on three-bed semi in Northumberland (NE65) Avoid black mail Pay careful attention when you post your Christmas cards this year because every card sent without sufficient postage will cost the recipient £1 on top of the missing postage when they visit their local Post Office to retrieve it. The 'handling charge' comes into effect for the first time this year as part of Royal Mail's attempt to keep its business back in the black. The charge - which was threatened but waived last year - is interesting when you consider that Royal Mail declared profits of £233 million for the last financial year. Humbugs. Of course you can always take a chance and ignore any notes from the postman saying you have an item to collect at the sorting office. Just don't be upset if turns out to be a box of Quality Street. The correct postage for a standard-sized Christmas card is 34p first class and 24p second class. For large letters, the prices rise to a minimum of 48p for first class and 40p second class. If you are not sure whether your item is large or small then head to your Post Office and have it properly assessed. Last posting dates for UK is 20th December for first class. If you're broke....Before you tear your hair out over the cost and wild goose chase required to get the latest 'must-have' toy, be heartened by a recent survey from the Children's Society which shows that most people look forward to family time more than expensive presents at Christmas. The Society says children will remember activities such as baking together more than what is in their stockings and pillow cases. The charity has published a free guide with lots of suggestions for cheap and simple things to do over the holiday. Useful links: |
| ||||||||||||||||