Having looked at the half term travel market Abbey National has found that prices can be as much as 80 percent higher than when the children are in school, meaning credit cards will be used to take some of the strain.
It came as no surprise to find higher holiday costs when the schools are off but 80 percent was quite extreme thought the Abbey National, especially when the economic climate is such that parents are looking to save money where they can, whilst still doing the best for their children. Scottish parents will fare better than their English counterparts thanks to their school holidays being at different times.
Abbey National found that Spain will offer the best value for families and also suggested ways to save money, including booking in advance, finding the best offer on currency or perhaps using a credit card that saves foreign exchange costs.
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Foreign exchange rates can be costing consumers money according to an Abbey National credit card division survey.
The survey has found that around 38 percent of people would pay in Sterling on their credit card whilst abroad, believing they would not incur exchange costs. This is not the case though since dynamic currency conversion means the transaction is converted to the local currency automatically. It is also often the case that it is the receiving bank that levies the charge, often at quite high rates. Again this is something most people are unaware of according to Abbey National, finding over 60 percent falsely believing this to be the case.
The Abbey National credit card Zero is an exception to this foreign exchange scenario and as such it is hoped that either more consumers will use this particular card or that other credit card providers will follow the Abbey National lead.
The credit card market seems to be hotting up as companies aim to offer the best deals in order to win customers. The latest Capital One credit card is one such deal and is expected to be very popular.
As credit has become harder to source the natural outcome of this is less customers to go around the different credit card companies. Capital One and the many others out there are all looking to gain the customers that are left and so have to entice them with attractive deals. Consumers looking for a new credit card have never had it so good.
The Capital One offer includes zero percent on both balance transfers and purchases, meaning that consumers using the card do not have to worry about the interest payments for some time, a situation that, with the financial pressures hitting them right now, is a good position to be in.