Ban on age discrimination could cost drivers and travellers

According to a recent report both drivers and holidaymakers could find that the cost of getting insurance will soar as a result of a government initiative to try and ban age discrimination in these industries. Read more

Tags: respect, holidaymakers, cost, whilst, car insurance, Association of British Insurers, government, travel insurance

BIBA: Christmas holidaymakers should insure valuables and gifts

People planning to travel during the festive season have been urged to be extra careful to insure all of their valuables, including Christmas gifts.

According to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), holidaymakers should ensure they have adequate cover, especially as doing so is unlikely to break the bank.

However, Graeme Trudgill, technical and corporate affairs executive for BIBA, expanded on the point saying: “What you might have already is, under your home insurance, a personal possessions extension.

“In which case, you’re going to get a much higher limit under your home insurance than you are on any travel product, but also you don’t have to then have that section of the travel insurance policy.”

Research carried out on behalf of Halifax Travel Insurance last year showed that a staggering 2.5 million people leave Britain at Christmas taking with them £727 million worth of presents.

Furthermore, it found, average personal baggage claims go up by an impressive 48 per cent from its annual average of between £560 and £830.

Tags: season, holidaymakers, personal possessions, insurance policy, baggage

Foreign ATMs gain in popularity

The number of ATMs which can deal in foreign currency will grow, it was claimed today.

According to UK cash machine operator Link, a big cause of this growth will be the convenience of holidaymakers who want to withdraw the relevant cash before they jet off.

Traditionally only found in airports, Link predicts that foreign ATMs will move closer to the mainstream of British life, and will be found on the high street more and more.

Head of planning and development at Link Graham Mott said: “The theory is at the moment that, rather than the person waiting until they get to the airport to get their foreign currency as many people do, they’ll get their foreign currency beforehand, in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Therefore, putting them in the high street or supermarket would do well, as that’s where people are going on a regular basis anyway.”

He added that customers seem to “like the idea” of the expansion, though the company does not receive the exact statistics for customer uptake.

Due to most only having four cash cassettes, it is likely that the high street ATMs will only have the capacity to stock euros and US dollars in future. To Mr Mott, this would not be a problem, as these are the two most popular currencies.

Link’s comments follows Tesco’s recent decision to expand its foreign ATMs from four to 20.

Tags: Commerce, holidaymakers, growth, stock euros, Link, theory, operator

Holidaymakers take care of cash

Almost half of British tourists fear for the safety of their holiday cash and are prepared to go to any lengths to protect it, new research has found.

In a run-up to the Easter break, 45 per cent of people questioned in a survey for Lloyds TSB Money Card said they feared their holiday money would go astray, with 16 per cent even prepared to wear a bum bag to avoid having their cash stolen.

Of the 1,000 people questioned, a further 19 per cent said they hid their money in secret pockets of bags while soaking up the sun, while 23 per cent admitted to stashing cash away under their clothes to keep it safe.

In addition, 22 per cent said they spread their foreign currency across different places on their person in a bid to thwart pickpockets.

Despite fears about losing their money, over a third (36 per cent) of holidaymakers said they took between £400 and £1,000 in cash away with them.

“In a bid to keep our cash safe it seems that we are willing to go to embarrassing fashion extremes but, in this day and age, taking huge amounts of cash abroad just isn’t necessary,” said Jatin Patel, head of foreign transactions at Lloyds TSB.

The bank has just launched a new Visa-style money card which can be topped up with euros or dollars by travellers as they need it.

Meanwhile, research published by the Post Office this week shows that the pound is stretching further abroad this year.

Poland, the Czech Republic, Thailand and Hungary were found to be the only nations out of a total of 16 countries to offer poorer exchange rates to Britons than at the same time last year.

Tags: post office, czech republic, holidaymakers, Lloyds TSB.The bank, foreign currency, card, run-up