Choosing Travel Insurance
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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Travel insurance is offered not just by internet and phone-based companies but direct over the counter at travel agents themselves and even at post offices. Policies can be cheap, but can vary in what they actually cover and the level of value they provide.
Travel insurance is recommended to UK travelers by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is designed to pick up the costs of medical treatment which might be required if someone falls ill or is injured on holiday. It will usually include a degree of personal liability cover, protection for lost or stolen possessions and will compensate a policyholder should their trip be canceled due to illness or natural disaster, among other reasons
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) should be carried by all UK travelers and can be applied for via 0845 605 0707. It offers free or cheaper hospital treatment across Europe but should be used in conjunction with a full insurance policy. The costs of being flown home late, possibly while still seriously ill, is an expensive proposition, as is treatment in many foreign countries, particularly outside the EU.
Lost luggage is at best an inconvenience, and at worst can ruin a holiday. While it may seem reasonable to expect that every policy will cover this eventuality, some single trip products don’t – taking a few minutes to check the small print could save masses of time and hassle.
Likewise those heading off to take to the slopes may have to tread carefully. Skiing holidays often need specialist cover, and a typical policy will not cover this or any form of extreme sports. Again, checking the detail can pay in the long run – will your policy cover the cost of airlifting you off a mountain after you suffer an injury? If not, a thousands of pounds will be needed. Cutting corners on cover for such trips could prove incredibly costly in the long run.
Many providers offer multi trip travel insurance, which covers a person for a multitude of trips in a year. This can save money and time as there will be no need to arrange cover before leaving. Policies will usually be available for Europe only, and Europe and the rest of the world, with the latter combination unsurprisingly usually costing more. Remember excesses apply on travel insurance as with many forms of insurance. These levels can vary and it may be worth checking this across a range of providers.
Finally, it’s not something anyone likes to consider, but the cost of repatriating someone home after they have died while abroad can also be considerable. Having to worry about a large bill could make a loss even harder to bear in the long run. It could pay to check this is covered and up to an adequate limit.
When looking for a travel insurance policy, it may not always make sense to simply take the one which is offered by the travel agency which is sorting out a holiday. Holidaymakers can turn to the web and phone for a deal but should make sure the limits and excesses are acceptable and adequate.
A Guide to Holiday Cash
Filed under: Finance and Insurance, Travel
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When planning a holiday, the things that take priority tend to be the most comfortable, lowest cost flights, the seating assignment on the plane, the most affordable but classy accommodation and perhaps the list of things to see and do. Very often we shop for clothing and accessories but do we shop around for holiday cash? Well this mini guide to holiday cash will show you how and why you should make your holiday cash a priority.
Who Can Benefit
Basically every holiday maker can benefit from this guide. After spending for the holiday, it makes sense to secure the best deal you could for the spending money. Depending on your destination by choosing wisely, you can save a lot of money on the conversion.
Holiday Cash…Things to Consider
We can agree that you will need spending money when you go off on your jollies, but the thing to remember is the more you have the more you can enjoy. Extra cash can translate to more dinners out, more presents or even longer stays. So before you purchase your cash consider the following:
- Shop around at different banks and money changers. You may find the rates are different and you could also identify opportunities for savings.
- There are various options for getting your holiday cash, this could include credit cards, travellers cheques or foreign cash itself. Before choosing any one option, be sure to know the fees and commissions charged by the provider.
- As an example lenders will recommend travellers’ cheques as the safest form of money while abroad but these are normally more expensive and you pay fees on issue and possible in the exchange rate when the cheques are converted.
- Credit cards may be the preferred method of obtaining holiday money but you’ll have to pay foreign usage loading fees and fees for withdrawing cash while abroad. More disturbingly, some lenders have been known to freeze their client’s credit cards if a foreign transaction appears on it as part of their fraud procedures
To increase your chances of securing the best deals try the following methods:
- Visit your home bank to see if there are preferential rates for existing customers
- Switch to or apply for an account with a bank that has no loading on travel money
- Check out your local post office to see what rates they can offer you
- Order your holiday cash ahead of time and don’t wait till the last minute. Give yourself time to compare rates. Some lenders even offer reduced fees for money purchased at certain times of the year. This could be a great opportunity to save on the fees.
- Look for companies that specialize in foreign exchange. Because they concentrate on a niche market, they may be able to offer you great savings.
Summary
Hopefully this guide to holiday cash has helped you see the importance that should be placed on obtaining money for your holiday abroad. Depending on how you secure your cash, you could find your pound going a bit further. All this translates to more money to spend while on holiday.
Sandisk Enterprise Cruzer usb drive
Filed under: Computers and Internet, Finance and Insurance
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How much could it cost you if your identity were stolen?
Time lost in phone calls and letters as well as having the anguish of raided bank and credit card accounts?
With the drop in price of laptops vs. desktop computers, many of us are opting for the portability of the laptop devices, but that comes at a risk. Whilst the laptops themselves way be worth only a few hundred pounds, the potential to have access to our personal data gives theives access to £000’s of our own money or access to new credit facilities in our name if you leave details on your computer.
In the last few months, SanDisk Launched the Enterprise Cruzer USB Drive. Most of us will be familiar with USB memory sticks by now, but most of those carry no form of protection via encryption or other security measures.
The SanDisk Enterprise Cruzer USB Drive helps to more effectively protect sensitive information on a secure USB drive in both Windows and Macintosh environments.
Cruzer Enterprise in Mac OS X and Windows PC environments has the same features and data security- even if used in both environments. The device can be initialized from either a Macintosh or Windows computer, where users can:
- Log in and shut down access to the encrypted storage area
- Change and manage passwords
- Change contact information, language and other preferences
- Launch online support, view current firmware and drive information
Available in 1-, 2-, 4- and 8GB configurations, Cruzer Enterprise supports Windows computers as well as Apple Macintosh Computers running Mac OS X 10.4 “Tiger” and Mac OS X 10.5 “Leopard.” Cruzer Enterprise safeguards all files stored on the drive with advanced hardware-based 256-bit AES USB encryption, which combined with advanced password protection will make it extremely difficult for unauthorized users to access data if the drive is lost or stolen.
Existing Mac Cruzer Enterprise users can download a firmware update at sandisk cruzer enterprise macupdater firmware download
.
The Cruzer Enterprise also comes in a FIPS edition which imposes even tighter security by making it mandatory that files stored to it are encrypted. However that extra level of security comes at an additional price. Given that you know that you need to protect your own data, you will use the available encryption on the standard Cruzer Enterprise device.
Now, wouldn’t it be better to store your personal data on a Cruzer Enterprise USB key attached to your keyring with the knowledge that the data is all but inaccessible to thieves? Wouldn’t you feel more secure keeping your data in a USB safe rather than on your Notebook (or desktop) PC?
Here are a few sample stockists of the Sandisk Enterprise Cruzer usb drive :
Below are prices from the least expensive stockists of the Sandisk Enterprise Cruzer usb drive 1GB version. ~£30 – £50 is a small price to pay to protect your sensitive data. If you want something larger, then you can shop around these merchants.
Affordable Health Care Cash Plans
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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If you want to take care of your health and you are concerned about the cost, then a health care cash plan could be the answer for you. This plan should not be confused with private medical insurance which provides access to private surgery and post op recovery treatment for specified conditions. With a health care cash plan you will receive cash to put towards your everyday health care expenses. These expenses could include optical and dental bills.
Depending on the provider you choose, you can get up to 75% cash back to pay your bills, up to the provider’s set limits. The costs of these plans are not very expensive and a number of medical situations may be covered.
Who Can Benefit
It doesn’t matter if you are old or young, single or in a relationship. If you have a family or perhaps you are thinking of starting one, this plan could benefit you. In other words, it’s a plan suited for anyone who wants to maintain their health and still watch the pennies.
Choosing Your Plan
Providers offer different terms and conditions so be sure to read the fine print carefully. Don’t take anything for granted. The last thing you’ll want is to be in a position where you need to make a claim but your claim is denied because of an exclusion you weren’t aware of.
While the cost of some plans may be lower than others, you should still try to get value for money. You’ll need to ensure you pay for what you need and you get what you pay for. For example if you only claim for dental and optical care, you will still be charged for all the other benefits and you may not be able to transfer the benefit entitlement to any other benefit you claim for.
Look at the waiting time, if any, before you can make a claim. Some plans allow you to make a claim from day one while others require you to wait a certain period.
Benefits of Health Care Cash Plans
Although these benefits will differ from provider to provider, generally you can expect to find the following:
- Cash back on your medical bills
- Money is available for private treatment such as chiropractors or physiotherapists
- Because you will be receiving money for private treatment, you won’t have to suffer the hospital waiting lists
- Plans can cover various situations from a small sum of money towards hospital stays to allergy testing (but not providers offer this so do check the small print)
- You can choose the level of cover your need. Different levels carry different costs
- Some plans provide free cover to individuals who are under 18 if they live with you
Disadvantages
- Some plans require a qualifying time before you are able to make a claim
- There is often a list of conditions and situations that are not covered. This list will differ from provider to provider so be sure to know what they are for your policy
- This is not a cheaper way of getting private medical insurance as it does not offer the same benefits, but it can help with the day to day costs of health care.
Summary
A health care cash plan can be very useful for assisting with the payment of your everyday health care treatments. This plan provides an affordable way of caring for your health. With such great benefits, there is no reason why you should not consider taking out a plan today.
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Over 50’s Car Insurance
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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If you are over 50, there are many benefits that are available to you; there can be health allowances, cold weather payments and even council tax benefits. But if you are a regular driver, have you ever considered over 50’s car insurance? The benefits offered with such plans may surprise you.
Who May Benefit
The plan caters to the needs of drivers who are over 50 of course. Research suggests that drivers over 50 are more likely to have mature driving styles which results in lower claims and this is good news for you. You may be able to get low cost car insurance at a much cheaper premium than younger drivers due to less claims being made. The old saying that age brings reason comes to mind doesn’t it?
Reasons to Consider this Insurance
- You may be eligible for cheaper premiums. Why pay more when you don’t have to
- Many over 50 policies have additional benefits that are not available to younger drivers
- You may be insured to drive any car so you don’t have to be confined to your vehicle only
- There may be additional benefits such as windscreen cover on over 50 policies
- Quotes can be obtained easily and quickly so you can be insured in no time
Selecting Your Product
There are so many options and benefits available that it might be a good idea to go through the terms and conditions carefully. You should avoid being in a position where you are paying for benefits that you will never use or worse yet, being under the impression that your are covered for certain benefits, when in fact you are not.
Benefits
While the benefits may differ from provider to provider, generally, you can look forward to the following:
- You may be able to spread payments over the year and pay by direct debit without any extra charges
- Protected no claim discounts even if you made a claim in the last 2 years
- You may be able to get European cover for an unlimited period for no extra cost
- Cover often include an element which will ‘get you home’ should you become stranded. This element could also take care of your hotel accommodations while in transit
- Replacement vehicle while your car is being repaired
- Anyone with a full licence who may drive your car in the event of a motoring or medical emergency may be covered.
Possible Drawbacks
The benefits of car insurance to people over 50 are so numerous, that we struggled to find drawbacks for these types of policies. Generally with these policies, you pay a lower premium and you gain more benefits that are suited to you
Summary
If you are of an eligible age, having over 50’s insurance may be something you want to consider. Looking at the benefits you can receive, there is no reason why you should put off getting a quote. The premiums are often cheaper. There are numerous benefits only tailored to you. Options are available for paying your premiums.
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Women’s Car Insurance
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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The popularity of women’s car insurance stemmed from the fact that providers wanted to target a niche market, namely women, and then offer cheap and discounted car insurance. As a result there are many great policies available now. According to Lady Insure, women drivers are statistically safer drivers, so they are less likely to make a claim on their motor insurance. With this in mind, providers are able to offer insurance at a cheaper premium to women drivers.
Who Will Benefit
This is pretty easy to answer. If you are a female driver and want to benefit from low cost car insurance, then this is your chance. There are many rewards and benefits associated with these type of policies, some of which we will consider in the next section. The main benefit you will see promoted however is how much you can save on your premiums. Now who doesn’t like saving money?
Reasons to Consider Insuring Your Car
Although the benefits may differ from provider to provider, as a woman driver, you can expect to see some of the following features:
- It has never been easier to get quotes and start up a policy
- Flexible payment plans are available to suit your needs
- Price promised policies are also available with certain providers
- Some policies include standard legal cover as part of the deal
- You may be able to arrange short term cover only. This will ensure you never pay for coverage you don’t need
- The best advantage is you can obtain extreme discounts, just for being a woman
- Standard benefits such as free courtesy car and no claims discounts also apply
- Other providers offer handbag coverage, so if your handbag was in your car and your car was stolen, your bag contents will be insured.
- Once you take out your policy from the women car insurance provider you may qualify for discounts on other types of policies such as home and content insurance
Selecting the Insurance
When choosing your car insurance provider, the main thing to remember is ‘buyers beware’. Despite all the attractive offers, be sure to read the small print for any exclusions or any hidden or implied conditions. Be on the look out for restrictions when combining discounts. Your provider may offer several discounts but you may only be able to redeem one.
Possible Disadvantages
The main disadvantage of women’s policies is that men can’t join in. Which is too bad for men, but good news for women. If the less cautious men were to be catered for, this will probably send the premiums up due to the number of claims the company had to pay out.
Summary
When it comes to women’s car insurance policies, you can look forward to benefits that are tailored to their needs. A typical example is the handbag coverage. Providers have studied the market and tried their best to think of areas women will benefit from and provided cover for them. Great tailored benefits combined with discounted premiums, is a very good reason to consider women’s car insurance.
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Critical Illness Cover
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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Even when you are in good health and have a secure, well-paid job, as the current recession begins to bite it can prove difficult keeping on top of the endless round of ever-increasing bills. It hardly bears thinking about, therefore, how much more difficult it would be if you were struck down by a serious illness, even if you were able to continue working in some capacity or another. But this is an event that does bear thinking about and critical illness cover can provide a timely and reassuring source of comfort.
Just as the name suggests, critical illness cover is an insurance that pays out a guaranteed, tax-free lump sum benefit in the event that the policy holder is diagnosed with a serious or critical illness. It is as simple as that. If such a diagnosis is made, often no further conditions need to be met – in some cases the illness does not need to incapacitate the policy holder from working and it could be that no specialist medical treatment is prescribed – the insurance benefits become payable.
Critical illness cover therefore occupies an increasingly popular position in the range of financial protection insurances. While life insurance of course provides the well-established security of financial protection for the family in the event of the policy holder’s death, there are many other health-related conditions that can threaten to undermine financial security. Indeed, advances in medicine mean that many serious illnesses and conditions that might once have resulted in almost certain death can now be survived. The incidence of such critical illnesses is perhaps higher than many would imagine, with some studies (by health experts, BUPA, for example) suggesting that one in four people in the UK will suffer a serious illness at some stage between 30 and 60 years of age.
If the individual can no longer work as a result of the serious illness, then clearly the insurance will offer a measure of much-needed financial security. In many cases, however, despite the diagnosis of a critical illness, the patient is still able to work, perhaps with additional physical aids or nursing care. In such cases, of course, the benefits paid under critical illness cover will help to pay for such help.
When choosing critical illness cover, the decision is not made on the price of premiums alone, since policies will differ on the range of illnesses and conditions covered. As a rule of thumb, of course, the wider the range of illnesses covered, the more expensive are the premiums likely to be. Depending on the principal purpose for which such cover is sought, there is also variation in the term of cover offered. Level term critical illness insurance, for example, will pay out the same guaranteed lump sum at whatever stage during the insurance term a critical illness is diagnosed. Alternatively, with decreasing term critical illness insurance the sum assured steadily decreases over the term of the cover and (in a similar way to decreasing term life insurance) is useful for protecting a repayment mortgage or other loan – so can also be described as mortgage critical illness cover.
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The Importance Of Dog Insurance
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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If your dog becomes ill and needs medical attention, you will no doubt want to provide the best care without having to worry about how you will cover the bills. This is where dog insurance comes in. With insurance in place, you’ll have peace of mind, knowing that you will be able to get your loved pet the attention it needs very quickly.
Who May Benefit
Anyone who owns a dog will benefit from having the insurance. You can never tell what adventures your four legged friend will get into, so it might be a good idea to be prepared for the unexpected.
Reasons to Consider Insurance for Your Dog
According to Healthy Pets, one in three pets will need veterinary treatment each year. With statistics like that, you can see why it is so important to consider insuring your pet
With insurance in place, you won’t have to worry about finding money to treat your pet in the event of an accident or illness
Various types of conditions and situations can be insured, so you and your dog’s needs will be met when you most need it
Dog insurance can cover vet fees for multiple injuries and illnesses. Kennel fees can be insured depending on the policy you choose. Policies can contain liability insurance so if your dog causes an accident or damage to someone’s property, you won’t have to pay from your own pocket
Selecting the Insurance
It is important to know the details of the insurance you are purchasing. It may not always be wise to go with the cheapest quote as the cheaper quotes may not provide extensive cover. You should read the terms and conditions of the agreement to ensure you know exactly what your pet will be covered for.
As an example some policies may only cover veterinary treatment for the first 12 months, so look out for conditions like these when making your final decision.
Most providers will allow you to pay the premiums by direct debit, this is easy and convenient and ensures your payments never lapse in the event you forget to pay the monthly instalment.
Possible Drawbacks
There aren’t any drawbacks associated with the insurance itself, but when it comes to insuring larger dogs for example, the following must be considered. According to Pet Insurance Ltd, larger breeds may be more prone to congenital defects, are more active and more prone to accidents. As a result insurance providers may charge extra to factor in these risks.
Despite this extra surplus to insurance policies, it is still worth considering because the benefit of knowing your pet is insured in the event of illness or accident far outweighs the extra cost you may have to pay.
If you consider the cost to pay vet bills and kennel fees from your own pocket, the choice of taking out the insurance will seem pretty good.
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Choosing Car Breakdown Cover
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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Anyone who travels by car regularly could decide to seriously consider a breakdown cover policy. Unless a driver is a mechanic themselves with tools in the boot, they are unlikely to be able to deal with a major breakdown. Suffering a mechanical failure in the middle of the night on a deserted road is never a pleasant proposition. Without breakdown cover it’s a potential nightmare, so a policy can at the very worst provide peace of mind while driving.
Cover now goes far beyond the likes of well-known firms such as the AA and a wide range of recovery and repair specialists are offering breakdown services. As with insurance, what someone gets for their money varies from one provider to another. Many car insurance firms will also offer breakdown as an extra on a policy, for an additional fee on top of the premium, although these will not always necessarily provide the best value.
Working out how a company prices their cover system can help someone save money – some will cover the person regardless of what vehicle they are in and some will only apply if the person in question is driving a particular car. A few breakdown firms will provide prices which are just based on the type of car while others will provide a more insurance-type fee scheme, judging a vehicle’s age, mileage and frequency of use.
Most breakdown firms run a network system where their on-call patrols simply attend to a problem by the roadside and then, if necessary, tow the car to a nearby garage. This means a minimum of fuss but can be a little more expensive than some alternatives. Some firms operate policies which see customers call out local recovery experts to be towed to a garage – they then claim back the cost from their breakdown provider. This involves a little more trouble and perhaps a little less peace of mind, but can involve cheaper membership costs.
As with insurance firms, some breakdown companies will offer no claims discounts, cutting the cost of membership for people who have not had to make a call out. Some companies will also offer very cheap membership deals to people driving very new cars. As with insurance policies, potential customers should look carefully at what is included in their breakdown cover. Cheaper membership fees usually give a basic level of cover involving any roadside repairs and recovery to the nearest garage. Pricier memberships will involve home assistance, which will see a mechanic come out to help if a vehicle fails to start at home, while others will recover a vehicle and take its occupants to a location anywhere in the UK – useful for anyone travelling far away from home regularly.
What type of breakdown cover is relevant to a person depends very much on their circumstances – someone who usually drives only a short distance to work, not far from home, is unlikely to need the level of cover a travelling salesman might need, for example. Pay and claim policies can be a good bet for those looking to save money rather than get the most comprehensive level of cover.
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Legal & General ISA
Filed under: Finance and Insurance
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Established in the year 1836, Legal & General Group (L&G) is now one of the top companies in the UK when it comes to financial services. As a matter of fact, the Legal and General Group is now in the top 50 companies in the United Kingdom, according to the FTSE 100 Index. Today, there are more than 5.6 million residents in the UK who rely on L&G in some way or other. This includes general insurance, pensions, life insurance, as well as investments. The company has already invested more than £112 billion all over the world on behalf of institutions, policy holders, and investors.
Amongst its portfolio of products is the Personal ISA. This comes in several forms and relies heavily on tracker funds which are investments where the return closely tracks various financial indexes. One of the beauties of the L&G ISA tracker products is the fact that it can track different national indexes. This provides a little more stability to the returns as the risk is spread over several financial markets.
Here are some of the products and the benefit that you can get from investing with Legal and General:
Index Tracking ISA Range
The United Kingdom has several companies that offer index-tracking ISA’s but no company compares to the Legal & General Group. It is currently managing over £146 billion.
- It provides a big selection of Index-Tracking ISA’s
- Aside from United Kingdom, some of the major markets in the world include the Pacific region, Europe, United States, and Japan.
- The ISA’s have very low management charges starting from 0.51% up to 1% annually.
- There are no withdrawal fees or initial fee.
- The minimum investment is just £50 every month or a £500 lump sum.
L&G’s Regular ISA
This ISA makes it easy to invest in the UK stock market. There more than 650 companies that are currently being tracked by the Legal & General UK Index Trust. These companies togerther compose the FTSE All-Share Index. The investment you make with L&G will be spread across the whole stock market in the United Kingdom. Therefore, it allows you to take advantage of the general market growth. Aside from that, you also don’t have to pay withdrawal fees or initial charges. Also, the total annual charge will be just 0.53% of the value of the fund. One of the other benefits is that that you have the chance to invest online for as low as £50 every month or £500 for a one-off, lump sum investment.
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as a guaranteed investment. The value may decline or rise. Moreover, any stock market investment should be considered as an investment that lasts for at least 5 years.
The other products which compliment Legal & Generals Regular ISA are:
- The L&G Multitracker ISA – an index tracking investment following regional stock markets including the UK, USA, Japan, Europe & The Pacific Region.
- The L&G Ethical ISA – Invests your money in an ethical way.
- The L&G Pacific ISA – tracks the FTSE World Asia Pacific ex Japan Index.
For more information or to apply for a Legal & General ISA, please click here