December Newsletter
| Created: 3/12/2007 |
Dear Stoozer
Welcome to the Winter edition of our Stoozing newsletter. In this edition we bring you all the usual card news, information about further additions to the site, and two more articles to read.
What's New?
Our tables keep getting better! This month we are introducing sortable tables. Just click on the column headings of our 0% card table to re-sort the table into which ever order you prefer. The initial display shows our judgment of the card rank, but you may prefer to sort the table by the lowest fee or the longest deal for example. If this proves popular, we will roll the function out on our other tables.
We have also added social bookmarking options to our pages. So wherever you see this symbol, you can choose to add the page to your favourite social site.
Announcing the Stoozer of the Year Awards 2007 (The STOTY's)
Although we work hard to provide you with lots of useful guides, articles and tables on the site, we recognise that stoozing.com would not be the same without the contributions of other stoozers who participate in our lively discussion forums. To celebrate your stoozing successes and your contributions to the site, we are launching the "Stoozer of the Year Awards 2007". Nominations close this weekend, so please visit our STOTY nominations page and propose your favourite stoozers in the various categories. Please remember to return to the site before Christmas to place your votes too!
Best wishes
Stooz and Clariman
Articles
The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again!) of the Cashback Card
There has been a resurgence of cashback card offers from the card companies in recent months. In this article we chart the history of cashback and review the best of the bunch There is money to be made in cashback again, particularly in the run up to the festive season.
Worried about the safety of your personal data?
Following the troubling news that the government has admitted losing CDs containing the personal data of millions of citizens, we review the risks and what you can do to protect yourself. Read our article to understand what was lost, what to check and how to look after your personal information more generally.
Talk about this newsletter or anything else in our lively free forums.
Best Deals
Best Balance Transfer Cards
Capital one still tops the Balance Transfers table with the only fee free mainstream 0% card, although it does require an "Excellent" credit rating. Britannia Building Society and Norwich & Peterborough BS continue to offer fee free cards but only to society members. We have also heard that they will no longer be fee free soon.
Top of the capped deals table are Virgin Atlantic and Citibank. The Virgin Atlantic card has the lowest fee, capped at £50 and (being an MBNA backed card) has a track record of good credit limits, low minimum payments and the possibility of getting a deal extension at the end of the 0% period. The Citibank card has a slightly higher capped fee at £75, but gives you 9 months 0% versus Virgin Atlantic's 6. The limits being offered by Citibank have been quite variable and they do not have a history of offering repeat deals. Citibank's BMIBaby card is no longer fee free.
Virgin Money continues to hold the top spot on the uncapped fees section, offering 0% over 15 months (yes 15 months!). Barclays Platinum follow up with 14 months but with a maximum BT amount of £5000. Egg offers 14 months at 0%. Next come the RBS stable of cards with NatWest, RBS and Mint cards all offering 0% for 13 months.
Best Purchases Cards
HBOS still tops the Purchase cards table with its 15 months offer, but this is hidden away on their website. Make sure you use this link to the Halifax Purchase card, otherwise you may just get their 12 months deal! For some time now, HSBC has had an excellent 12 months 0% on purchases offer which has proven to be very popular. Subsidiary First Direct has a similar offer.
Best cashback cards
For a full appraisal of the current cashback scene, please see our The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again!) of the Cashback Card article. The conclusion of our research is that almost all users would be best going for the American Express Platinum credit card which has been a consistent player at or near the top of this table. It is offering a fantastic 5% cashback on all purchases for the first 3 months which makes it unbeatable if assessed over a period of 12 months. If you want to make a 2 year cashback card decision then the Amex is still best for all but the lowest spenders, who would be marginally better with the Capital One cashback card, offering 4% on all purchases for 3 months, followed by a straight 1% thereafter.
Best Life of Balance Card
It's a very close call on LOB cards. Goldfish offers a 4.9% LOB rate until 2010 and just holds the top spot on our table because of the low typical APR of just 12.9%. However, HSBC offers the same 4.9% LOB rate but for 2 years more, but it does have a slightly higher typical APR after the LOB period. The difference in fees may swing it for you: 3% for Goldfish and 2.5% for HSBC.
Best Savings Accounts
ICICI are once again top of our table of stooz pot accounts with a straight 6.41% AER. Icesave is in second spot with an excellent 6.3% AER. If you have followed this site for a long time, you may remember that ING used to be a top player. It is not surprising to learn that ING have paid the penalty for not maintaining competitive savings rates.