Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:54 +0100
Questions Of Cash: Barclays gets plenty of currency from Connect card
Q. I recently purchased foreign currency at a Post Office branch, using a
Barclays Connect card. I bought ?220 across the counter at my local Post
Office, which cost me £203.44. When I received my bank statement, the amount
debited was £207.50. Barclays told me that the additional amount was a 2 per
cent commission charge for foreign currency purchase. It seems that I should
have withdrawn cash from my Barclays account in the Post Office using my
Connect card ? for which no commission is charged ? and then hand the cash
back across the counter to purchase my foreign currency. CP, by email.
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:44 +0100
Simon Read: Why wait to write off credit card cheques?
A government crackdown on unsolicited credit card cheques has long been
overdue. The cheques have seemingly indiscriminately been junk-mailed to
millions of credit card holders in recent years simply to encourage them to
overspend and boost banks? profits. According to figures from uSwitch, 280
million of the cheques were sent out to 14 million people last year alone.
And the 3.2 million of those suckered into using the cheques helped the
credit card companies pocket an extra £571m in handling fees and interest
charges last year.
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:12 +0100
The tax crackdown that could net you £700 a year
The tradition of the wealthy keeping their cash at arm?s length from tax
authorities by finding a secretive offshore home could be set to end if new
proposals for openness are agreed by world governments. The move could mean
each person in Britain being more than £700 better off each year.
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