Christmas cashback: How to use credit this festive season

Published

2 years ago

December 13, 2022

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With the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, more people are turning to credit to prop up their finances after an increasingly turbulent year.

One bank said credit card inquiries had gone up 43% in the last year as people turn to borrowing to support their day-to-day living.

Fiona Anderson, from Vanquis – which offers credit building credit cards under the Visa brand – said the use of buy now, pay later has increased, with 14% of young people using this as a way to pay for Christmas.

As a general rule, if you don’t need to put something on credit, then don’t. Take your time before making big purchases.

If you do need to, here are a few tips on some of the best ways to use credit.

This does not constitute financial advice – always read the small print.

Cashback for Christmas

If you are the type of person who is able to pay off their card in full every month then a cashback, or reward card, could help you earn benefits with no extra work – something for nothing.

From the Amex Platinum Cashback Everyday (which offers 5% cashback for the first three months and then less thereafter) or the Amex Nectar credit card (which gives you 20,000 bonus points if you spend £2,000 in the first three months), these cards have a host of potential rewards.

But, be careful with these and make sure you pay it off in full every month. These cards often have high-interest rates which means any rewards could be wiped out if you don’t repay in full. Something for nothing can very quickly become nothing for something.

For example, take the Lloyds Bank Mastercard.

If you were to spend £2,000 on it you would get £20 cashback plus an extra 0.25% cashback on your spending – taking the total value of rewards to £25.

But fail to pay the card back in full, and your monthly interest will be around £33 (or around £400 a year if you are slow paying it off), completely wiping out any benefit.

Some cards also impose a minimum spend – so always check the small print.

The best way to spread purchases

Again, if you don’t need to borrow money, don’t. It can lead to problems later down the line.

But, if you have no choice, an 0% credit card can be the cheapest way to borrow, but you have to use them right.

These cards will offer a number of months where no interest is charged on new purchases – and this can save you thousands compared to taking out a standard loan.

Cost of living calendar – reveal a different story every day

It can seem tempting to use these to plug gaps in your income, but try and only use them for planned expenses. Then, calculate how much you need to repay each month to make sure you are fully settled up before the 0% interest period ends.

Some cards even offer additional perks – like Barclaycard which not only has the longest 0% periods but gives you £20 cashback.

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Find and compare deals

MoneySavingExpert does a regular round-up of the best credit cards on offer, and services like Experian mean you can check what you are eligible for without impacting your credit score.

Always check the fine print on cards, and don’t ever use them as an excuse to overspend. The most magical moments at Christmas don’t come from what’s under the tree.

UK

Liverpool win Premier League title to equal Man Utd’s record

Published

4 hours ago

April 27, 2025

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Liverpool win Premier League title to equal Man Utd's record

Liverpool have won the Premier League title after a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.

Arne Slot’s men did it in impressive style, turning over Spurs in a convincing win.

It was a rocky start for the Reds after Dominic Solanke put the north London side ahead.

However, fortunes quickly changed in the first half as Liverpool scored three times without a response.

In the second half, it took until the 63rd minute for Mohamed Salah to make it 4-1 before a fifth followed.

The Reds have won the title in manager Arne Slot’s first season in charge, and move level with fierce rivals Manchester United on 20 league championships.

But it makes them arguably the most successful English club ever as they have won more European Cup or Champions League titles.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “It’s special and it’s something that we don’t take for granted. It’s amazing.

“A lot of emotions before the game, during the whole week, but we got the job done and we (are) truly deserved champions of England. (Liverpool is) the most beautiful club in the world and I think we deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks and let it sink in.”

Slot took over last summer from Jurgen Klopp, who guided them to their previous and maiden Premier League title triumph in 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdown saw matches played behind closed doors.

He is the first Dutch manager to win the Premier League and the fifth man to do so in a debut campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini, and Antonio Conte.

Speaking to Sky Sports he said: “They [the players] did an outstanding job today. The main job was to win. Everyone said we had got it already. But we had to make sure and we got over the line.”

Several players, including Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah, played leading roles in both the 2025 and 2020 campaigns.

Van Dijk and Salah recently signed new contracts extending their careers at the club.

Liverpool will have to wait until the final game of the season – at home to Crystal Palace on 25 May – to be presented with the Premier League trophy.

It will be the first time the club’s fans will have seen their side lift the top-flight title in person since 1990.

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UK

Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Published

10 hours ago

April 27, 2025

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Protesters throw powder on Tower Bridge during London Marathon

Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.

The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.

A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.

The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.

They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.

A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.

Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.

There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.

Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.

“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”

The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.

The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.

UK

Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week’s council elections

Published

14 hours ago

April 27, 2025

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Kemi Badenoch does not rule out local coalitions with Reform after next week's council elections

Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.

“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.

However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.

“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.

“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”

She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”

A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.

It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.

Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.

The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.

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