Its ‘Pay in 3’ scheme will launch in late October, and will be available to use at Crew Clothing, French Connection, Robert Dyas and Ryman. PayPal’s new payment option is similar to those offered by Clearpay, Klarna and Laybuy, although each scheme varies in terms of repayments and late fees. While the option to spread the cost of Christmas or big purchases on Black Friday might be appealing...
The design by Dominique Evans (pictured with the coin above) features the words ‘Diversity Built Britain’ in block capitals. It’s the first in a planned series of coins paying tribute to the contribution people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities have made to the country. Here, Which? takes a closer look at what the coin represents and ask how valuable it’ll be on the...
If you do find the coin, which bears the deerstalker-and-pipe enthusiast’s silhouette, it could be worth more than face value. But since the Royal Mint is yet to confirm how scarce the coin actually is, its true value would be a mystery for even Sherlock Holmes himself. Read on to find out which rare 50ps are the most valuable, and how likely you are to be handed one at the till. How much is the...
Several new savings providers have emerged in the past few years. Some, such as Metro Bank, could be spotted on your local high street while others are digital-only. There are imports from overseas, including Marcus by Goldman-Sachs, as well as hyper-local brands known mostly in their own region. It may feel risky to hand your money to an unknown bank, but sticking to the big name brands could...
Remortgaging a Help to Buy propertyWhen you buy a home using Help to Buy, you pay a 5% deposit and take out an equity loan from the government of up to 20% of the property’s value. Usually, you’ll get a mortgage for the remaining 75%, with two and five-year fixed rate dealsamong the most popular choices. This means that you’ll then need to remortgage when you get to the end of your fixed period...
What is the Civil Sevice Pension Scheme?The Civil Service Pension Scheme covers staff of employers made up of government departments and non-departmental public bodies, such as museums, commissions and other organisations. The type of pension you get from the Civil Service depends on when you joined, but it’s one of the most generous of its kind. Known as a ‘defined benefit’ pension, civil...
What is buying ‘off-plan’?Buying a house or flat off-plan means buying it before it’s been built. This might sound risky, but if you’re buying in a market where property prices are on the up and more homes are needed, it can have its rewards. That’s why the sight of homebuyers queuing around the block waiting for a show home to open is becoming more commonplace. Interest in buying off-plan has...
What is an individual voluntary agreement (IVA)?An individual voluntary agreement, or IVA, is a contract agreed between someone who is in debt and their lenders, in a bid to stave off bankruptcy. If you cannot afford to pay off your debts in full, an IVA allows you to come to an agreement with the companies to which you owe money to freeze the interest you’re paying and possibly reduce the amount...
What does ‘exchange of contracts’ mean?Exchange of contracts is when the two legal firms representing the buyer and seller swap signed contracts, and the buyer pays a deposit. At this point, an agreement to buy or sell a property becomes legally binding: once the buyer and the seller have exchanged contracts, they can’t back out of the deal. In this guide, we explain what everyone needs to do...
What is wedding insurance?Wedding insurance can protect you against a range of unfortunate and costly events at your wedding. These could range from losing the ring, to suppliers going under or the entire wedding being cancelled. With wedding insurance premiums relatively small, and the cost of a wedding averaging over £30,000, getting covered could make sense. How much does wedding insurance...