Archive for the ‘Recession’ Category


Hungry for progress: more misery as food prices rise


Thursday, November 4th, 2010

You’ll see a trend if you look over some of our most recent blogs and I’m not talking about customer satisfaction as seen in our last post.

No, we are of course talking about the “doom and gloom” of this dire economic situation. At the risk of sounding repetitive, we at 247Moneybox.com do feel it is our duty to keep you up-to-date with the ups and downs as propagated by the media.

Today the topic is food prices, with the news reporting on new findings by the British Retail Consortium. Their price survey shows a sharp increase in the price of wheat and corn that has increased what The Guardian called “inflationary pressure”.

As a result of this, consumers are paying more for bread and meat, while rising oil prices and a seriously poor harvest which, incidentally, is the first we’ve heard of it in the City have hiked up fruit prices to their highest level in 18 months.

With Christmas coming around and the inevitable VAT rise in January, things are starting to look gloomier than the weather! Hurrah for payday loans then, for you’ll never have to feel pangs of hunger when you have access to extra cash when you need it so visit our website and apply today.

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Mounting costs: 247Moneybox.com looks at flight tax increases


Friday, October 29th, 2010

We could all use a getaway this Christmas. What with looming cuts, ‘doom and gloom’ seemingly around every corner and the never-ending saga of yet another round of people wanting to be people that almost got famous singing, we here at 247Moneybox.com think some winter sun or snow would be ideal.

Not to depress you any further, but Air Passenger Duty (APD), or Airport Tax, is set to increase by up to an extortionate 55% from Monday 1st of  November. Ouch.

An article on thisismoney.co.uk reports that this could close to triple some fares, with a trip to Australia for a familyof four set to cost £680, up from £440, IN TAX; and, for example, a flight to Florida will result in a tax increase from £180 to £240 - a 33% rise; and a general tax increase in economy fares from £220 to £340, a 55% rise. It’s almost like they want to stop us from flying!

The article is very interesting and brings together views from across the industry, with the consensus being that such hikes are disgraceful.

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Recession? Is it a case of glass half empty or half full? Should we be tightening or loosening the belt? Questions we want answered!


Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

We would have all heard the apparent ‘good news’ spreading through reports this morning, telling us that GDP grew 0.8%, doubling forecasts that predicted growth at 0.4%. Well, it’s not much but it’s something.

This has been put down to the growth of the construction sector, so all you hard-working labourers and engineers should give yourselves a pat on the back and get yourselves a well earned beer this weekend!

Here at 247Moneybox.com we won’t let ourselves get carried away though, bearing in mind this data was gathered before the cuts were announced. And it seems like consumers won’t either.

Research gathered by Gocompare.com shows that people are still tightening their belts in the hope of saving some money and improving their credit rating.

Which is not really surprising, what with the nation’s workforce in fear of job losses stretching across public and private sectors. We don’t intend to scaremonger, but it will be interesting to see what we’re told about GDP at the end of the current quarter.

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Staying five alive in the recession


Friday, October 15th, 2010

We read with delight in the Evening Standard, among other papers, about a great idea being rolled out over London.

For all those savers, budgeters and careful spenders, independent ATM operator Bank Machine is planning to extend its £5 cash dispensers across the capital after successful feedback from trials in east London and outside Waterloo station.

These machines allow you to withdraw £5-£50 and dispense the relevant amount in £5 notes only. Picture the scenario of having an inconvenient amount of £6.44 left in your account and being forced to withdraw a tenner, leaving you overdrawn and possibly incurring bank charges and the rest.

And the funny thing is you would’ve probably only needed £4.50 for an outrageously expensive single ticket to Victoria. So the rest of the change gets lost on a Mars bar, a Red Bull, some chewing gum and other unnecessary purchases.

Anyone that empathises with this situation will welcome the idea, as we do here at 247Moneybox.com, and call for the machines to be placed nationwide we are in a terrible economic climate after all.

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Financially unCable


Thursday, October 14th, 2010

As if finding a job after graduating wasn’t hard enough in this current economic climate, then try doing so under the stress of knowing you have £20,000 worth of financial debt.

Now double/triple/quadruple that figure.

Reported across the media this morning, including the Metro, business secretary Vince Cable, in a complete u-turn from the Lib Dem ideal of scrapping university fees altogether, is considering doubling the tuition fee level to £7,000 by 2012.

What’s more, he has also insinuated that the cap on fees could be lifted so that universities can charge as much as they like for specific courses Oxbridge, for example, could be looking to make potential students pay £12,000 per year.

Here at 247Moneybox.com we are asking what does this actually mean for our young academics if those levels are introduced?

Instead of repaying your loan as soon as you start earning £15k or above, you will be given breathing space until you’re on a £21k salary.

On average, graduates will be expected to pay around £30 per month on a £25k salary and will continue to do so for 30 years, at which point the government writes off any remaining debt (currently the debt is written off after 25 years). The interest rate on repayments will be 2.2% above inflation.

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Cash crisis - foul in the Moneybox


Thursday, October 7th, 2010

Unwavering passion for football is what makes the sport so exciting.

Taking a day out with the family to blindly support your team for that common goal for lack of a better word! of entertainingly beating the opposition, in an atmosphere unique to a sport so often maligned for its image, is what it’s all about. You can even get specialised credit cards that offer good rates with the bonus of contributing finance to your club’s youth scheme. Love it.

However, The Guardian recently ran an article based on a report by Virgin Money regarding the drop in spending by fans on club merchandise, particularly for Premiership teams.

And it’s no real surprise in this economic climate, with replica shirts (whose sales have apparently been hit the hardest) costing around £40 with the extra charge of £10 to get your favourite player’s name on the back.

The Guardian araticle also reports that the average Premier League matchday ticket price is £36, and £24.84 across the top four divisions. And while a season ticket that can cost £500 or so may save you money in the long run, it represents as much a commitment as that gym membership you can’t be bothered to cancel.

The article also suggests that the average matchday cost is £97.50, which includes some travel expenses, a pint of lager (no packets of crisps), a match ticket and programme along with a replica shirt (though why people are buying a football shirt every time they visit the ground is a puzzler for us here at 247Moneybox.com!).

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Capping loan interest rates will hurt consumers


Sunday, August 29th, 2010

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) decided against capping interest rates in the payday loan industry back in June, as stated in The Guardian. This met with a lot of criticism; in particular, people have argued that the high levels of interest are exploitative and that they prey on people who are susceptible to accumulating debt. However, we at 247Moneybox.com feel that this criticism is unfounded and argue that this industry offers a very popular and above board service regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

An unreasonable market, on the other hand, may assume that the prices are unfairly inflated above what they cost and that a few companies receive a disproportionate amount of profit. An unreasonable market may have an oligopoly or monopolistic structure (where only a few companies dominate the market), and there would be obstacles to new companies joining the market and sharing the profit. However, if you read these articles from The Guardian or BBC News, you’ll see that the payday loan market has swelled with new competitors and new customers.

If the price mechanism that companies compete on gets frozen, then they will have to find another way to generate revenue to break even; this will come in the form of excessive late charges, administrative fees and other hidden costs. Who will be the people who lose out? The people who apparently are more susceptible to becoming indebted.

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The changing face of loans


Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Getting a loan used to be a complicated affair, and unless you fulfilled the many criteria that a bank would use to assess you, they remained for many an unobtainable luxury. Even if you were accepted, there were usually mountains of paperwork to trawl through until you eventually got your money. Recently, however, this has all changed, and with the advent of payday loans, applying for and obtaining a loan has become an easier and more convenient financial solution.

Traditionally, a bank would assess you for a loan in terms of your credit rating, which means that if you had a history of bad credit - be it arrears, county court judgements (CCJs), default or bankruptcy - then you would be refused a loan. Some would argue that this policy of refusal would shut out the very customers who could best use a loan. And, as we enter more uncertain times, it is likely that the criteria for bank loans will only become stricter, making it even more difficult for those who need loans to get access to money.

Now, however, there are alternatives, such as payday loans. Of course these have some criteria in place too, to ensure repayment of a loan, but they represent a more egalitarian financial solution that is open to all responsible borrowers, and offer a way to access cash when you need it the most.

Visit www.247Moneybox.com for more information.

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Off-peak and advance fares could see sharp rises


Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

Following the Government confirming that regulated fares for passengers, such as season tickets, would fall last January, travel watchdogs have warned that train operators will try and regain their losses through other measures, reports Times online. These other measures to recoup their revenue - so-called ’stealth charges’ - include increasing the cost of parking and advance fares.

These warnings have shown substance following the First Great Western train company announcing rises of up to 20% on some off-peak services. Regulators do not monitor these off-peak services so there are no limits as to how much fares can be raised.

The fare reductions for regulated fares have been hailed as the first ‘in a generation’, and aim to encourage more people to use train travel and avoid more environmentally damaging means of transport, like cars. Some companies have been allowed to increase prices; West Yorkshire PTE will increase fares to enable investment in additional trains. London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, has been put under pressure from requests for more funding to British transport to cover the ‘black hole’ of investment there; this will make it difficult for Johnson to freeze fares for Underground and bus networks, which he controls. Boris promised in December that a ‘reduction (in RPI) will, of course, be fully reflected in the fare package’, a proposal that will come under a lot of strain.

Are you finding that expenses are getting too much for you each month? Are bills going unpaid and threatening to increase through penalty charges and late fees? If so, it sounds like you need a little injection of cash to deal with those steep payments you are facing at the moment. Here at www.247Moneybox.com we can offer you the chance to cover your costs with one of our payday loans. We can offer you a competitive loan, which provides cash quickly and with minimal hassle from paperwork or faxing. So visit our website and see if you qualify for a payday loan!

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Car insurance inflation at its highest since 2000


Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Not more price rises! Yes, unfortunately further price rises are expected this year as car insurance companies argue that the high costs they are facing have to be transferred to motorists, reports BBC Online. Insurance companies are facing higher costs from more personal injury claims, such as whiplash, and more cases of fraud, which has forced them to increase premiums, claims AA Insurance.

Simon Douglas, the director of AA Insurance, stated that the ‘underlying premiums are rising more steeply than they have since 2000 because of rising costs’, and he doesn’t predict that this will ease. Already, last year’s prediction made by him has come to fruition, as premiums have increased by 10%.

He concludes that companies in the industry needed to turn around underwriting losses and pay the costs of better detection of fraud, as well as help clamp down on uninsured drivers, and that these were the main factors behind the greater costs.

Premiums are rising at a faster rate than at any time since the start of the decade. The average annual comprehensive car insurance policy rose to £778 between April and June, a rise of 3.5% compared to the previous three months, while the year on year increase reached 11.3% in June.

Others hit by the increases include those taking out third party insurance policies, namely young drivers, who already pay astronomical premiums due to the high-risk nature of these policies.

Are you struggling with the rising costs of reinsuring your car? It’s an expense that has to be paid for, as you can’t continue to drive without it. Therefore, to ensure that your car can remain roadworthy, it’s may be worth taking out a payday loan from us here at www.247Moneybox.com. Our tailored loan solutions are designed to help those who are having difficulty getting enough money together to keep their basic necessities going until the next paycheque. Think of us as a way to keep your finances on an even keel. If you need to get your finances back in black, apply for a payday loan today.

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