Whether it’s making sure your passport is still in date or making sure you have a valid EHIC/CHIC card for your trip, there are plenty of last minute ways to save a bit of cash
Summer holidays are a matter of days away, something many people across the country are looking forward to. While many will have booked their hotels and flights, often as package deals, there are still ways for holidaymakers to save a little bit of money right before jetting off.
The Money Saving Expert website has a verity of brilliant tips and tricks on a huge amount of topics, including ways to save some cash while holidaying abroad this summer. In its recent weekly email, Money Saving Expert shared some ‘last-second savers’ that will help those heading abroad make their money go further.
So whether you’ve already checked your passport or have a brilliant bank account already, check out the following guidance to see where you might be able to bring your holiday costs down.
Is your passport valid? Watch out for the ’10-year rule’
- Your passport must have ‘at least six months left on it’ or three months for the EU on the day you leave the UK.
- It must also be less than 10 years old on the day you enter the country.
Still time to grab the cheapest way to spend abroad
There are specialist cards which are designed to be used overseas, which give you brilliant exchange rates.
- Top easy overseas debit card – Open Chase, gives a 1% spending cash back up to £15 a month, doesn’t matter when you go or if you’re already jetted off you can load a virtual card to your phone.
- Top debit card with FREE £200 – First Direct customers can get a top overseas card, and newbies switching to it can get £175 and an Amazon voucher worth £25.
- Top overseas credit card – Barclaycard Rewards gives cardholders 0.25% cashback, but as it’s a credit card ensure you’ll repay IN FULL each month or its 28.9% rep APR interest dwarfs the currency gain.
Going to Europe? Don’t forget to pack a valid EHIC/GHIC for all the family
- These cards will give British holidaymakers access to state run hospitals or GPs in EU countries without breaking the bank.
- You pay the same rate as locals, so if they don’t pay neither do you.
Try the ‘rebook trick’
- Check if your hotel/car hire is cheaper than when you booked
- If you’re hotel offers free or cheap cancellation and you notice the price for it has gone down, cancel and rebook the same room for the newer cheaper price.
Bookmark key pages on your phone in case of flight cancellation or delay
- You can normally get around £200+ in compensation per person
- So if something happens with your flight having the correct pages with information on what to do bookmarked can help in the long run.
Booked car hire?
Be prepared for the hard sell on insurance at pick up, especially if you’ve only booked cheap car hire with basic insurance. To beat this you would be better off paying for the cheap standalone ‘excess’ insurance in advance, which would cost £2 a day. But if they still try to up sell be prepared to:
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Leave a refundable deposit of possibly £1,000+ on a credit card.
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Often debit cards aren’t accepted.
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It usually needs to be in the name of the person who booked (though some are the main driver). If not, they won’t accept it, so check first
Where tinkling in the seas, wearing flip flops and more can get you a holiday fine
- Know your foreign laws so you don’t have to pay fines while you’re there.
Book airport parking before you arrive
- If you turn up at the airport without a booking you could pay hundreds more than you would if you had booked in advance.
- Even if you’re booking on the same day, booking will save you hundreds.
Don’t get stung with hidden roaming charges
- A lot of mobile networks now charge around £2 a day to use your data and phone abroad.
- Don’t get caught out and know what your plan allows before getting off abroad.
- Or better yet buy a cheaper Sim specifically for your holiday.
