To start with, you can make sure that the information held on your file is accurate.  Fraud scoring is an important part of the application process for any credit product these days, and central to this process is a comparison of different applications over time, to identify possibly fraudulent inconsistencies in the information provided to different credit providers.  An error on your credit reference file can make the information that you provide to a new credit provider look inaccurate, which can raise a red flag and contribute to a decision to decline your application.  If you identify any mistakes in your file, you should contact the credit reference agency and ask them to amend the information.

Your free credit report can also provide an indicative credit score that gauges your credit worthiness given your financial history.  While this score is independent of the actual credit scoring procedure used by credit providers – each organisation will have their own specific criteria – your indicative credit reference agency score can still highlight potential problems.

A low credit score can result from simple things, like not being on the electoral register at your current address (this is another of the fraud ‘red flags’).  You may have made too many applications for different credit products in a short space of time, which can raise questions about your ability to pay back what you could borrow with all that credit (or again, suggest a fraudulent run on the financial system).  You may simply have old accounts open that still have an overdraft facility, which again adds to your potential maximum exposure to debt and debt repayments.

Put simply, most people are unaware of the effect of these hidden obstacles to future credit applications until they see a credit report, and this fact is not lost on the credit reference agencies who often charge for the service of disclosing all the data that they hold on you.  The free credit report is therefore an offer that everyone should take up, a valuable snapshot of financial health that can enable you to take remedial action as and when required.  For more information about improving your credit score, try looking at: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/credit-rating-credit-score#know.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s hard to imagine now, but just five or six years ago we were in the middle of a property boom. Fuelled by interest-only mortgages, the housing market was open to people who had never previously dreamed of owning their own home.

To cope with this new, almost limitless potential homebuyer market, lenders developed tools that could quickly help customers understand the kind of mortgage they could obtain, without even having to meet with their bank. These tools are called mortgage calculators. Now, every mortgage lender has one on their website. For a decent example, click the link for Santander’s calculator for mortgage.

Mortgage calculators work out how much a buyer can afford by determining their financial situation. It does this by collating a few basic inputs such as income, debt and savings. A number of sites offer more rigorous financial analysis by aggregating a range of mortgage calculators and comparing the results. The overall result for the homebuyer is to tell them how big a mortgage they can afford, and whether or not they should wait to buy.

The development of mortgage calculators online led to a number of variants. For current owners, there is the refinance calculator. This little tool works out whether the financial gain from a lower interest rate offsets the refinancing cost. Mortgage payoff calculators ascertain how different payment plans could affect the final payoff date. Amortization calculators monitor repayments, and let the homeowner know how making additional payments could affect their plan.

These tools all sprang up during the noughties. Of course, it turned out that, post-recession, far fewer people could actually afford to get on the housing ladder. But their legacy remains, and the mortgage calculator promises to be a useful tool for the future. Similarly, the emergence of independent advice websites has proved to be a post-boom boon to potential buyers. These sites – such as yourmortgage.co.uk – offer information, tips, independent advice and useful links to people looking to buy a house.

Image: renjith krishnan  / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The first problem to consider is the effect on your credit rating. Applying for too many cards or switching cards too often (even though you might be doing it for responsible reasons, like making the most of introductory 0% offers) will show up on your file and may appear as if no-one else wants to lend to you. If you regularly default or pay late, this will also show up on your credit rating.

Credit card fraud is another huge problem. To protect yourself, you must keep your card in a safe place at all time, and never let anyone else know your PIN. Check your statement each month, shred receipts, and if your card is stolen report it immediately.

If you’re getting a poor service from your credit card provider, and your complaint to the company has got you nowhere, the Financial Ombudsman Service is there to protect credit card users against malpractice.

If you have a problem with something you have bought with a credit card, it’s possible to claim the money from the credit card company rather than the firm that sold you the item. To be eligible to claim, the goods or services usually must cost between £100 and £30,000. This protection can be highly useful, especially if the trader or supplier has gone out of business. Keep the credit card company well informed if you are entering into a dispute with another company.

If you are struggling to pay your bill, it is advisable to contact your provider as soon as there is a problem. They might give you a temporary reduction on repayments, or even freeze the interest.

• You get 1 BA mile for every pound spent
• You get 3,000 bonus BA Miles when you spend £500 in your first 3 months of membership
• Spend £20,000 on your Card in a year and redeem your BA Miles on a BA flight and you’ll get a free ticket for a companion for the same flight and cabin e.g. if you go first class they do too
• There is no annual fee
• You are entitled to travel accident insurance up to £75,000

Furthermore, you also get these travel benefits:

• Share the benefits – Free Additional Cards for your friends and family to help you boost your BA Miles balance even faster.
• Online Fraud Guarantee – You will not be held responsible for unauthorised online purchases.
• Travel Accident Insurance – Up to £75,000 worth of Travel Accident Insurance when you use the Card to book public transport tickets.
• Purchase Protection – eligible items that are stolen or damaged accidentally, the purchase protection benefit will replace, repair or refund the item for up to 90 days up to £2500.
• Refund Protection – If any UK retailer refuses you a refund for any eligible items within 90 days of purchase, American Express will refund the purchase price up to £200.
• Emergency Card Replacement – if your Card is lost, damaged or stolen, American Express can get a replacement to you virtually anywhere in the world.

The above is subject to the British Airways and American Express terms and conditions.

Click below if you’re ready to apply. If you’d prefer a cash back card as opposed to a airline card, see our best cash back cards post.

Some of the best discounts include:

• 20% off Ted Baker
• 50% off selected events at viagogo.co.uk
• 30% off at zavvi.com
• 25% off holiday packages at Travelpack.com

In addition, Capital One throw in a few new and exciting discounts every three months, via email.

As long as you remember to pay the card off in full every month, you’ll avoid the 9.9% APR and will be quids in.

The offers will last for six months from the date you register for Capital One’s ‘eXtras plus’ reward zone and you have to shop via this online shopping hub. Once Capital One have sent the card to you, you’ll receive an email telling you how to register with eXtras plus

Here are the eligibility requirements for this card:

This card gives you a massive 5% for the first 99 days (max £100 cashback during that time). That makes it a great option if you have large up-coming spends e.g. in preparation for Christmas, moving home, etc.

After the introductory period, the spend on the card resets and you are placed on their tired payouts.

Tiers are as follows:

• 3 months @ 5% (max £100).

• 0.5% up to to £6k spending.

• 1% up to £6k-10k.

• 1.25% above £10k.

So the first £6k you spend after the introductory 3 months will be at 0.5%. It gradually moves up to 1.25% which is one of the best rates out there.

This card is great if you’re going to spend up to £2,000 is the next three months (any more and you won’t earn cash back due to the £100 cap) and continue to spend pretty heavily after that so you can break through to the upper tiers.

The card has no annual fee and as it’s a MasterCard, it’ll be accepted everywhere. However, the acceptance criteria is strict – you’ll need to have earn £20k+ and own your own home!

Here’s an example of the cash back you’ll get for varying spend levels:

Here’s the eligibility criteria as per the Capital One website:

• A big 3% on petrol (on up to £300/month spend)

• 2% in department stores

• 1% in supermarkets.

Unfortunately, if you spend outside of that, you’ll get no extra cash back.

All of the major petrol stations, department stores and supermarkets are included in the cash back offer. The Santander website has a full list.

The card attracts a pesky £24 fee so you have to be sure that you’ll use it enough to make it beat other cash back cards.

The application page for this card has a very useful slider that lets you adjust your monthly spend amount split between the three categories mentioned above. That then tells you how much cash back you can expect to earn and I highly recommend you check this out.

As a typical example, a family that spends around £200 a month at the supermarket, £70 in department stores and £150 at petrol stations a month would get approximately £96 cash back.

To further boost cash back, you could obtain additional cards and give these to trusted family members. Any spend will be added to the total cash back amount. The card is a MasterCard so you can be sure that it’ll be accepted everywhere.

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This card is simple and consistent and is one of the best cash back cards there is. It pays 1% unlimited cash back on everything and there are no annual fees. You also get the benefits of it being a widely accepted MasterCard.

As with the Capital One card mentioned earlier, acceptance criteria is strict. You have to have an excellent credit rating, earn £20k a year and be a homeowner.

This table shows the cash back you’ll get with varying levels of annual spend:

Here’s the eligibility criteria for this card as per Capital One’s website:

It pays new cardholders 2.5% cash back for the first three months up to £4000 of spending (max cash back you can earn during the first three months is £100). After this, you get a healthy 1.25% cash back. Furthermore, if you spend over £10,000 in a year, you’ll also get unlimited 2.5% cashback in your anniversary month as an extra little treat.

A way to further maximise cashback with this card is to request a complimentary supplementary card. Give this to a trusted family member and anything that’s spent on it will also count towards your total spend and earn cashback.

The drawbacks of this card is that they charge a £25 annual fee. However, if you spend just £85 a week for 3 months you’ll earn over £25 cashback, easily covering the fee. After the 3 months, you’ll get the leading 1.25% rate with no limit on what you can earn.

The only other drawback is that Amex isn’t accepted everywhere. If you generally shop at the same places, check out this site for a list of places that accept Amex.

Despite these minor drawbacks, the American Express Platinum Cashback card still comes highly recommended due to the high level of introductory and ongoing cash back.

The table below shows the different levels of cash back with varying spend levels:

Click here to apply.

Card Facts:

Eligibility Information: