MoneySavingExpert.com Feature by Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert
Don’t forget your holidays. No I’ve not got all romantic with a yearning for sun kissed memories, I’m still on-message about saving money.
Don’t forget your holidays hope you will).
If you took a break over the summer, some simple checks could help you save money now and for future holidays (a nice thought to get over the back-to-work blues). So here’s my holiday hangover checklist.
Flight delayed by over 3hrs this summer (or any time since 2008)? EU reg 261/2004 means you’re entitled to £100-£480 per person compensation, regardless of the cost of the trip, even for flights going back to 2008, if it: • Was an EU flight - ie, any from an EU airport or to one if an EU airline.
• Arrived over 3 hours late or was cancelled. • Was the airline’s fault, which covers pretty much anything barring extraordinary circumstances such as air-traffic strikes, bad weather and volcanoes.
Free templates, help and what to do about airline excuses (eg, “there’s a court case”) in my
www.mse.me/flightdelays compensation guide. And the results can be large, as Pat contacted us, “Read your info and decided to contact Etihad about our 14.5hr delay from Heathrow to Sri Lanka in 2011. We’ve received a total of £2,010 between four of us... great”.
Shocked by bank/card currency charges on your statement? Fight back. My dad called me outraged at the ‘new’ foreign exchange charges on his bank statement for using his card abroad - nearly £50 in total. Yet banks and credit card providers have always levied these (and I’ve always nagged him to sort it, but he’s my father, he’ll never listen to me, I
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The shock comes from the fact banks have now been forced to split charges out on statements, not hide them in the exchange rate. Most debit and credit cards add 3% loads, so £100-worth of euros costs you £100 plus a £3 charge.
Instead grab a specialist load-free credit card just for spending abroad as they give near- perfect, bureaux-beating rates every time, in every country.
Check the PAO number on your suncream before throwing it away. The period after opening (PAO) number will be on the bottle - many are safe to use up to 18 months later, provided they’re stored right - so don’t chuck it unnecessarily.
Got Euros, dollars or even colón left over from the summer? Changing currency back is very expensive, especially for small amounts. So if it’s a country you’ll revisit even in a couple of years, it’s likely best to hold onto it (worth putting it in your overseas wallet (yes, I’m that nerdy). If not, there are two tricks to changing it back for the best deal: • Use my the buyback comparison at www.
travelmoneymax.com to find best rates
•
Find a friend/colleague who’s going where you went, and offer to exchange with them. Use the spot FX rate at www.
xe.com and you both win.
Stung by hefty insurance when picking your car hire up? Let me guess, you booked cheap car hire, turned up and they fear-sold you into paying 10 euros a day extra for car hire excess insurance? It happens all the time.
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
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