Dealsmaster's Blog

Crash twice to double your car insurance premiums

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:45:55 -0600

If you're unlucky enough to crash your car twice this winter you could
find yourself paying double for car insurance, according to
Confused.com.
Some insurers researched by the price comparison site more than trebled
the cost of insurance premiums after two accidents.
Confused.com said drivers should take extra care at the moment because
icy winter roads increase the likelihood of accidents.
"We're ...

Lenders soften up on loan-to-value ratios

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:45:07 -0600

Lenders are softening up on their loan-to-value (LTV) ratios, according
to MoneyExpert.com.
Research by the price comparison website shows the number of fixed-rate
deals at 90% LTV or above almost doubling in the last 12 months, with
147 products to choose from today, up from 78 this time last year.
However, those seeking LTVs of above 90% have only 61 home loans to ...

Brits work 50 days to pay off interest on debts

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:19:50 -0600

Brits effectively spend 50 days earnings a year paying off interest on
their debts, according to research by unbiased.co.uk.
"As a nation we will spend the first 50 days of 2010 just to earn
enough money to pay off the interest on our debts," the financial
advice site said.
That means it took until Saturday 20th February before anything ...

High street spending recovers as shoppers return

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:14:46 -0600

The quarterly Confederation of British Industry (CBI) report has
revealed shoppers returned the High Street in their droves in February
after UK retailers reported their strongest growth in sales volumes for
two years in early February.
The CBI also believes further growth will be experienced in March as
consumers begin to loosen their purse strings.
According to the CBI’s latest Distributive Trades ...

Virgin Broadband has retained its position as the UK’s fastest broadband provider following the publication of January’s broadband speed test results.

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:57:58 -0600

Virgin’s fibre optic cable broadband service generated average
broadband download speeds of 7.651Mbps in January, that’s almost 50%
higher than second placed O2 Broadband / BE Broadband with 5.113Mbps.

In third spot was TalkTalk with speeds of 3.628Mbps, while BT had average download speeds of 2.982Mbps.

In the upload speed test results, O2 and BE Broadband came out top with
average upload speeds of 0.716Mbps, with Virgin coming in second with
upload speeds of 0.588Mbps. Third was TalkTalk with 0.487Mbps.

Virgin’s super-fast fibre optic cable broadband service is available to 55% of UK homes. No BT phone line is required.

New customers switching to Virgin’s 10Mbps broadband service online can
get their first 3 months free, followed by £12.50 a month thereafter.
Free weekend calls to UK landlines are also included.

TalkTalk has boosted the broadband speeds in its ‘Essentials’ phone and broadband package to up to 24Mbps.

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:45:48 -0600

The move means new and existing customers will be able to enjoy
broadband speeds potentially up to three times faster than the previous
8Mbps headline speeds.

There’s no change to the £6.99 a month price for the ‘Essentials’
package, which offers free broadband connection (saving £30), a 40GB
download usage allowance, plus unlimited evening & weekend phone
calls to UK landlines.

TalkTalk has also made a significant change to its TalkTalk Pro
Broadband package. Fom today the ISP will be removing P2P traffic
shaping for all Pro customers.

TalkTalk Pro Broadband is designed for heavy downloaders and online
gamers, so news of the ISP scrapping P2P traffic shaping will mean Pro
customers will not see their broadband speeds slowed during times of
peak demand.

Priced at £14.99 a month, the TalkTalk Pro Broadband package offers
unlimited broadband speeds up to 24Mbps, a free wider range wireless
‘N’ router and anytime phone calls to UK landlines.

Both Essential and Pro packages also include free technical and customer support.

End time for Northern Rock’s 100% savers’ guarantee

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:34:32 -0600

The 100% guarantee on deposits currently enjoyed by Northern Rock savers will come to an end on 24th May 2010.

From then on, customers of the nationalised bank will be covered by
the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which currently
offers protection of up to £50,000 per individual.

Anyone opening an account before the deadline will automatically come under the FSCS.

The enhanced guarantee came into existence in autumn 2007, when
Northern Rock came close to collapse and savers began queuing up to
withdraw their cash in what became the first run on a UK bank in over a
century.

Since then the lender has been split into one good and one bad back.

The less attractive elements of its mortgage book have been
separated out from its retail deposits, which now form part of the soon
to be auctioned Northern Rock PLC.

The bank’s rivals will be pleased to hear that the 100% guarantee is
being lifted as it raises competition issues, although deposits with
National Savings and Investments remain fully government protected.

Be sure to insure winter break, warns Moneysupermall.co.uk

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:58:49 -0600

Be sure to insure winter break, warns Moneysupermall.co.uk
Brits travelling abroad this month have been encouraged to take out travel insurance by moneysupermall.co.uk. The price comparison site said insurance for winter breaks is available for as little as £10 per week. "Whether you're seeking sunshine in Spain or snow on the slopes, travel insurance is an essential item when planning any holiday and you should not leave home without ...

Are lenders loosening their purse strings?

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:54:29 -0600

Interest rates on personal loans are finally starting to fall.

The average interest rate on the top ten loan deals has fallen to
8.35%, the lowest level since the Bank of England reduced the base rate
to 0.5% last March.

When the Bank of England first lowered the base rate, mortgage and
current account providers followed suit, while personal loan rates
detached themselves from any connection with the base rate.

Despite the recent reduction in rates, many providers are still
restricting personal loans to existing current account customers.

“Perhaps the tide is turning,” said Tim Moss of moneysupermall.co.uk, who published the figures.

“It has been a long time since there was much good news to talk
about in the loans market, but the recent moves suggest lenders are
willing to open their purse strings just a little wider.

“For those in need of credit for one reason or another, it might be time to have a look at personal loans again.”

AA Credit Card: 0% on purchases for 10 months

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:41:01 -0600

AA Credit Card: 0% on purchases for 10 months
The AA has launched a new credit card with a 0% interest rate on retail spending for 10 months. The card, available exclusively through moneysupermall.co.uk, offers the 0% rate on all purchases including motoring and fuel. Consumers can also take advantage of a 0% rate on balance transfers for 12 months, subject to a 3% handling fee. The card also provides ...

Brits annoyed with consumerism of Valentine’s Day

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:10:33 -0600

Brits annoyed with consumerism of Valentine's Day
Brits are fed up with the consumerism and money concerns that have invaded Valentine's Day, a day that should be about celebrating love. Research by moneysupermall.co.uk found nearly a fifth (17%) of Brits are planning not to bother with Valentine's Day because they don't like the idea of it. "The anti-Valentine vibe is definitely in the air this year," said Mike Wilson, ...

New voice for savers

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:01:40 -0600

This week has seen the launch of a new advocacy group which claims
72% of British savers have not been supported or given a fair deal.

According to research from Save our Savers, the Government and
policymakers bear the brunt of public blame, but respondents also want
financial product providers to do much more to support savers.

The group says it intends to mobilise savers, into a “major force”
that cannot be disregarded, galvanising 27 million British adults into
a grassroots force for change.

Save our Savers spokesman, Revd John Strain, comments: “Saving for
the future, prudently and wisely, is a crucial component of the common
good.”

He adds: “Savers have been far off the political radar for decades
now … anyone would think the Government doesn’t want people to provide
for themselves, doesn’t need enterprise built upon the nation’s
savings, and would rather we all borrowed and spent our way into old
age dependency.”

Meanwhile, Birmingham Midshires has reported that in the final
quarter of 2009 Britons more than doubled the amount they saved in a
quarter.

Research by the lender indicates that savers put aside an average £776, up from £329 during the same period of 2008.

However, the amount squirreled away was down from £849 in the second
quarter of 2008 and around 38% of people questioned admitted to raiding
their savings in the final quarter of last year, withdrawing an average
£1,724.

Orange sets the day for launch of Apple's iPhone on its network

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:09:29 -0500

Orange will launch Apple’s iPhone on its network on November 10, the
day after O2’s exclusive contract to sell the smartphone comes to an
end.

The launch date had been shrouded in secrecy since the operator
confirmed in late September that it had won the right to sell the
iPhone.

However, The Times has learnt that Orange will start selling
the handset in a little over two weeks. More than 200,000 people have
pre-registered to buy an iPhone through the operator in the past month.

Orange declined to comment on its launch date or the exact number of pre-registrations that it has received.

The launch makes for a busy day in the telecoms sector, with
Vodafone to report interim results on November 10. Vodafone, which will
start to sell the iPhone in the UK next year, will be asked about its
own launch timetable.

O2 began to offer the iPhone on November 9, 2007, at an event
attended by Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and chief executive, held at
the Californian company’s Regent Street store in the West End of London.

Potential customers will have to wait to learn Orange’s pricing
plans. With O2 turning its attention to the Palm Pre, which it launched
exclusively last week, and Vodafone entering the iPhone fray next year,
Orange has a narrow timeframe in which to press home its advantage.

Yet those hoping that the three operators will engage in a price war
are likely to be disappointed. Analysts have argued that the iPhone is
a premium product and selling it cheaply would not make strategic sense
for the operators.

Orange and Vodafone may look to capitalise on O2’s recent network
problems in London to highlight the strength of their own networks or
build more value into the bundles on offer. T-Mobile is still
considering whether it will sell the iPhone in the UK, while Kevin
Russell, chief executive of 3 UK, said this week that the country’s
smallest operator also expected to sell Apple’s handset by mid-2010.

Google Android Eclair launched to developers

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:07:21 -0500

he Android 2.0 update is supported by the Android software development kit,
and will enable developers to create new application programming interfaces
for features such as device synchronisation and Bluetooth.

"Using the new sync, account manager and contacts APIs, you can write
applications to enable users to sync their devices to various contact
sources," wrote Xavier Ducrochet, tech lead for the Android SDK team,
on the Android developer blog.

"You can also give users a faster way to communicate with others by
embedding Quick Contact within your application. With the new Bluetooth API,
you can now easily add peer-to-peer connectivity or gaming to your
applications."

Android fans have been expecting an imminent software upgrade for the last
couple of weeks. Earlier this month, a giant foam eclair appeared on the
lawns of Google's
headquarters in Mountain View, California, and was placed beside a donut and
a cupcake, the codenames for two previous Android releases.

Users of Android devices, such as the HTC Hero, will have to wait until
November for the new Android 2.0 software to be deployed on their handsets,
but the improved operating system promises to bring some impressive new
features.

For instance, users will be able to add, synchronise and manage multiple email
accounts and contact books through the device. That means users will be able
to tap on a photo of a friend or colleague and decide whether to contact
them by text, email or instant message.

The new software will also make it possible to archive and search text
messages and picture messages, and an improved virtual keyboard to make it
easier to touch-type on the phone's screen at speed.

"Over the next few months, we expect to see more and more Android devices
being released," wrote Ducrochet. "These devices will be running
Android 1.5, 1.6, or 2.0. We are also planning a minor version update of
Android 2.0 towards the end of the year, and that will be the last update
for 2009."

Motorola's news Sholes handset, also known as the Motorola Droid, which is due
to be released in the United States later this month, is rumoured to be the
first device to run the new Android 2.0 Eclair software

O2/Vodafone network share fully operational

nospam@example.com (Deals Master) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:05:45 -0500

Cornerstone may invite tenders for the management of the two networks’ sites soon

Cornerstone,
the company managing the O2 and Vodafone network share, is now fully
operational with over 100 sites live or under construction.

In March, O2 and Vodafone announced a deal to share network assets across Europe, which was exclusively revealed by Mobile.

O2
parent Telefónica and Vodafone will use the agreement, which is
expected to save ‘hundreds of millions of pounds’ over the next 10
years, to aid the roll out of their networks.

In the UK, both companies will focus on the joint build of new sites and consolidation of existing 2G and 3G sites.

In
the latest move, Cornerstone is considering putting a tender out for
the maintenance of the two networks’ sites, to take place in January,
Mobile understands.

Vodafone’s sites are currently managed by Mono and Tyco, while O2’s are managed by Clark Telecom and Cellular Systems Limited.

An
O2 spokeswoman said: ‘Now that the Cornerstone team is in place, we are
working to review our processes and procedures to ensure we are
operating efficiently. We continually review our suppliers, but it is
far too early to speculate on a new tender at this stage.’

In
April, it emerged that O2’s technology team was at risk from job cuts
 after Cornerstone was formed to manage the site share programme for
the  two operators.

O2 chief technology officer Derek McManus
had internally described the network share deal as part of plans to
make the operator 50% more efficient, with a 50% reduction in costs and
a 50% reduction in the time it  will take to roll out the network.

O2
said there are approximately 200 people in the Cornerstone team with
‘only a very small number of vacancies still to fill’, in mainly
support roles.

The spokeswoman added: ‘We are very pleased with the management team and the skill sets we now have in the joint organisation.’